Modi responsible for pitting two nuclear states against each other: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday blamed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for pitting the nuclear-armed neighbours against each other.

In his address with the National Assembly, the PPP chairman said India committed "naked aggression" since 1971. He was referring to recent Indian incursions into Pakistan that led to tensions between the two countries.

"Modi is responsible for tensions between Pakistan and India. He is responsible for pitting two nuclear-armed states against each other," he said.

Bashing the Indian premier further, Bilawal said the "butcher of Gujarat" has the blood of Muslims on his hands, noting that civilised countries in the world had declined visa to "this extremist".

He said the Modi government set worst record of crimes against humanity in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

"UN resolutions continue to be violated in Indian-occupied Kashmir," the PPP chairman noted, calling for provision of right to self-determination to Kashmiri people.

He also mentioned in his speech that the Pulwama attack was not carried out by non-state actors from another country, saying, "It was a reaction of a native youth of occupied Kashmir to Indian atrocities."

Bilawal said the opposition demonstrated responsibility amid tensed situation between Pakistan and India, and Prime Minister Imran Khan was not declared a "security risk" for establishing peace with India.

Lamenting the premier's absence from an in-camera meeting of parliamentary parties heads, he said PM Khan kept his ego above national security at such a moment too.

'PM took risk in returning Indian pilot so soon'

Bilawal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a risk by returning the Indian pilot so soon.

During the address, he was critical of the prime minister's decision stressing it was done without "reciprocation from India or guarantees of de-escalation".

Despite this, the PPP chairman said his party still prayed for PM Khan's risk paying off.

Missed 'opportunity'

He said he also opposed the government's decision not to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting. 

According to Bilawal, not attending the meeting was synonymous to missing the opportunity for engagement and to use the platform to get Pakistan’s message to the Muslim world.

Nobel Peace Prize nomination

Bilawal also spoke on the Nobel Peace Prize for Imran Khan and the resolution which was tabled in the National Assembly.

"If the resolution was not adopted it would have been an international embarrassment that the National Assembly voted down the resolution," he said, adding that if the resolution would have been passed in the current circumstances Pakistan would have become an international joke.

"I would like to appreciate the government for taking a U-turn on this position as well," the PPP chairman said.

Terrorism, NAP

He said there was a need to combat the mindset of terrorism for the future of our generations. "After APS this parliament decided to endorse National Action Plan to combat this mindset. What happened to the NAP? What happened to combating hate speech and reforming our curriculum?" Bilawal asked, further questioning what happened of action against the Taliban and banned organisations.

Bilawal was critical of their mainstreaming and said this was not the policy of the parliament, and should not be the policy of Pakistan.