- Bilawal vows to punish attackers if India provides evidence.
- “We have to confront Modi to save Sindhu,” says PPP chief.
- Says Indian allegations just an excuse to target Indus River.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has thrown down the gauntlet to India over its allegations related to the Pahalgam attack, calling on the Modi-led government to present evidence supporting its claims against Pakistan.
“We [Pakistan] are not involved in this. If you have evidence, then present it. Tell the people of Mirpur Khas who these terrorists are. We will catch them and hang them publicly in a ground in Mirpur Khas,” the PPP chief said while addressing a public gathering in Sindh’s Mirpur Khas district on Thursday.
Bilawal, who served as foreign minister in the previous PDM-led government, said the Indian allegations of terrorism were just an excuse while its real target was the Indus River.
The PPP chief was referring to India’s punitive diplomatic measures including suspending the Indus Waters Treat in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that left 26 tourists dead.
The incident triggered tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations with New Delhi linking Islamabad to the attack without offering any evidence, and took a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas of Pakistanis, and closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing among others.
Islamabad, in response, ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side.
Pakistan also denied its involvement in the attack and offered to take part in a credible and transparent investigation.
“They [Modi govt] call themselves democrats [but] we will prove that they are extremists,” the PPP chief said adding that India is not a peaceful country.
“We have to confront Modi to save Sindhu [Indus River],” the PPP chief added.
