WASHINGTON, June 12 (Alliance News): Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned US lawmakers and diplomats that the risk of a full-scale war between Pakistan and India is at its highest level ever, following India’s recent actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which he says have “dangerously lowered the threshold” for armed conflict.
Speaking to the New York Post in an exclusive interview, Bilawal expressed deep concern after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack—a claim Islamabad denies—while Bilawal called for an independent international investigation.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the role that the US government — President Trump, Secretary [of State] Marco Rubio — played during this crisis in helping secure a ceasefire,” he said. “But the ceasefire is just the beginning.
We now seek assistance for durable peace through dialogue and diplomacy.”
Following the Pahalgam incident, India carried out unprovoked attacks across the border, prompting Pakistan’s military to respond with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.
Pakistan claims its response, which included downing six Indian Air Force jets including three Rafales, was carried out in self-defence. The conflict ended after 87 hours with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.
Bilawal said the recent conflict marks the lowest point in India-Pakistan relations. “The region is far less safe now. The threshold of war has never been this low,” he warned.
He also raised alarm over India’s threats to block Pakistan’s water supply, calling it “an existential issue” and a potential act of war. “If India can’t honour existing treaties like the Indus Water Treaty, how can we expect to negotiate future peace?” he asked.
In London on June 9, Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s call for an impartial international probe into the Pahalgam attack. He stated, “Pakistan had no role in the attack. We offered to cooperate, and the international intelligence community supports our position.”
Bilawal also warned that escalating rhetoric from India is dangerously reducing space for diplomacy. “If there’s a terrorist attack in India, it now automatically means war. And if one happens in Pakistan, the same logic applies. This is a very dangerous path,” he cautioned.
Following diplomatic engagements in Washington, New York, and London, Bilawal is now leading a nine-member parliamentary delegation to Brussels.
The team will meet senior officials from the European Union and Belgium, as well as top think tanks and media representatives, to brief them on India’s alleged provocations and Pakistan’s call for peaceful resolution.