Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned that India’s escalating aggression poses a serious nuclear threat to the region, calling for urgent diplomatic engagement to preserve peace in South Asia.
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg during his visit to the United States, Bilawal said India's current military posture under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has significantly raised the risk of a nuclear confrontation in the event of any future conflict.
“India’s new aggressive ideology has increased the nuclear risks in the region. The use of nuclear-capable missiles makes the situation extremely critical and reduces Pakistan’s time to respond to any potential strike,” Bilawal cautioned.
Referring to India’s post-ceasefire stance, Bilawal said the Modi government’s idea of a “new normal” — involving aggressive military action without evidence — is dangerous and destabilising.
“They called it a ‘new normal’, but we call it abnormal. According to this dangerous ideology, India can initiate a war with Pakistan simply by making unverified accusations,” he said.
Bilawal reiterated that Pakistan gave a full and measured response to India’s previous provocations, and now the time has come for comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. “We must sit down and talk. Long-term peace in the region is impossible without direct and meaningful engagement,” he said.
Kashmir, terrorism, and India’s allegations
Addressing recent developments and India’s accusations regarding the Pahalgam incident in Indian-administered Kashmir, Bilawal firmly denied any Pakistani involvement.
“Pakistan has no role in the Pahalgam incident,” he stated, adding that India has a history of blaming Pakistan without evidence. “We have already presented concrete proof to the United Nations and the US government that India is supporting terrorist groups like the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) and TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan).”
He added that militant groups operating from Afghanistan continue to pose serious security challenges for Pakistan and must be addressed through regional cooperation.
Shift in Indian narrative on Kashmir
Bilawal also pointed to a shift in both the global and Indian stance on the Kashmir issue.
“Even the US president has acknowledged that Kashmir is a global dispute,” Bilawal said. “Interestingly, India is now also calling it a bilateral issue — a major departure from its earlier stance of labeling Kashmir as an internal matter.”
He emphasized that Pakistan remains committed to peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, especially Kashmir, through international diplomacy and bilateral engagement.
