As India Prepares To Send All-Party Delegations Abroad, Pakistan Signals Similar Initiative

Pakistan too may send its MPs and former ministers to other nations to mount a similar campaign like the one announced by India, which will soon be sending seven all-party delegations abroad.

Former foreign affairs minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Source : PTI

After the Indian government's announcement to send seven all-party delegations to key world capitals to highlight India's resolve to fight against cross-border terrorism  from Pakistan, especially against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, Islamabad has also indicated similar plans. A team led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is likely to visit major foreign capitals.

Each of the seven Indian delegations comprises seven or eight political leaders and is assisted by former diplomats. Of the 51 political leaders, 31 are part of the ruling NDA, while the remaining 20 are from the non-NDA parties. 

The delegations led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK), and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP) will visit a total of 32 countries and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

The first hint regarding Pakistan’s plans to launch a similar campaign came on Saturday evening when Zardari claimed in a social media post that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approached him to lead the delegation.

"I was contacted earlier today by Prime Minister @CMShehbaz, who requested that I lead a delegation to present Pakistan’s case for peace on the international stage. I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times," said Bhutto-Zardari.

However, there has been no official statement on the matter from the Pakistan government.

Meanwhile, several reports in the Pakistani media state that besides Zardari, other leaders expected to be in the delegation include former deputy foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani. Some reports even claimed that Pakistan may send former ambassador to the US Tariq Fatemi to Russia.

According to Pakistani media reports, the delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is expected to visit Europe to brief key nations on Pakistan’s recent conflict with India.

Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, however, has confirmed the government's plans to send the delegation to key foreign capitals. Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach will extend to the US, Russia, UK, France, and Belgium, to underscore Islamabad’s stance on the recent hostilities, Dar told the media, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The development comes after Sharif offered to hold talks with India on various issues, including the Indus Waters Treaty, Kashmir, and terrorism. The offer was rejected by India as external affairs minister S Jaishankar clearly stated that India is willing to hold talks with Pakistan only on the issue of terrorism, stressing that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until cross-border terrorism backed by Islamabad is "irrevocably stopped".

Jaishankar said on Thursday that the only issue related to Jammu and Kashmir that New Delhi is willing to discuss with Islamabad is the vacation of the parts of the region illegally occupied by Pakistan.