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Pakistan ready to forge historic, phenomenal partnership with India, says Bilawal
After trading barbs against India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan's former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto asked New Delhi on Wednesday to join its so-called efforts to combat terrorism and forge a 'historic' partnership.
During an address on 'Pakistan Fighting War for the World against Terrorism' at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Bhutto said, 'Pakistan is ready to forge a historic, phenomenal partnership with India to jointly combat terror.'
'Not as adversaries playing a zero-sum game but as neighbours who share a moral and civilisational obligation to save a billion souls from the plague of extremism. All it requires is from India's leadership is to step down from the high horse heading in the abyss and pursue peace with Pakistan,' he added.
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The Pakistani leader also called for India to resolve all outstanding disputes, including the Kashmir issue and IWT, that India has put under abeyance following the Pahalgam massacre where terrorists linked to Pakistan killed 26 civilians.
'Let us resolve Kashmir in accordance with the aspirations of the people. Let us end the weaponisation of water. And instead, build peace as mighty as the Himalayas. Let us return to our shared traditions grounded not in hatred but the ancient soil of the Indus valley civilisation. It is not weakness to extend a hand. It is wisdom." Bhutto said.
This is not the first time the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader has reached out to India to seek dialogue and partnership. Following India's Operation Sindoor , which destroyed several terrorist launchpads in Pakistan, Bhutto said, 'Pakistan would still like to cooperate with India to combat terrorism we can't leave the fate of 1.5 or 1.7 billion people in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists for them to decide at a whim that two nuclear armed powers will go to war and this is the new normal of the new abnormal that the Indian government is trying to impose on the region.'
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