Bilawal Urges UN to Intervene in Pakistan-India Tensions, Restore Indus Waters Treaty

UNITED NATIONS – Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has called on the United Nations to play a proactive role in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, while urging the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty, which he said had been “unilaterally suspended” by New Delhi.

Leading a high-level nine-member parliamentary delegation to New York, Bilawal met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters to present Pakistan’s position on recent cross-border hostilities and India’s military actions following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The delegation included prominent Pakistani lawmakers and diplomats: Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt, and Syed Faisal Subzwari.

During the meeting, Bilawal handed over a letter from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing concern over India’s alleged cross-border strikes, targeting of civilian infrastructure, and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a move Islamabad has described as a “water war.”

“The weaponisation of water cannot be tolerated,” Bilawal told the UN chief, describing the treaty as a “lifeline for 240 million Pakistanis.” He warned that India’s actions threatened regional stability and set a dangerous precedent.

The PPP chairman also warned of India creating a new “dangerous normal” of aggression and impunity, saying: “The people of South Asia deserve peace, not war.” He reiterated that the Kashmir dispute remained an unfinished agenda of the United Nations and urged the Secretary-General to use his good offices to initiate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

UN Secretary-General Guterres welcomed Pakistan’s commitment to peace and reaffirmed the UN’s support for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Bilawal launched a strong rebuke of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Modi has become the butcher of Gujarat and Kashmir,” he said. “Now he wants to trample the Sindh civilisation too.”

He said Pakistan had always remained open to talks, while India had repeatedly backed away. “We are ready for dialogue, but India continues to evade the conversation,” Bilawal stated.

In a press conference at the UN, Bilawal emphasised that while the recent ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) was a step forward, it was insufficient. “The threshold for a full-blown conflict between nuclear-armed nations has decreased, not increased,” he warned.

He also claimed that India used the Pahalgam incident as a pretext to launch cross-border attacks, rejecting Pakistan’s public offer to support an impartial international investigation into the April 22 attack.

“Pakistan acted in self-defence; we never initiated violence,” he said.

Following their New York engagements, the delegation has now arrived in Washington, where they will meet with US officials and engage with think tanks and the media until June 6.

Read more: Bilawal Bhutto Urges Global Community to Resolve Kashmir Issue, Condemns Use of Water as Weapon

Sources indicate that Bilawal will also express gratitude to the Trump administration for past mediation offers on Kashmir and will urge Washington to take a more active role in ensuring a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute in line with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.