Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference in Karachi, Friday, November 7, 2025.
MUZAFFARABAD:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday said the “crushing defeat” inflicted on India during the May War was historic, saying Pakistan’s international standing had strengthened as India continued to face reminders of the “7-0 defeat” – a reference to the seven Indian planes shot down during the brief military escalation.
Addressing the swearing-in ceremony of AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Bilawal said as former foreign minister, “I can say that Pakistan’s international position is gaining respect.”
“Meanwhile, Modi is hiding from the world, whether at the United Nations or in ASEAN forums. He was defeated like a coward, and he knows he will be reminded of the 7-0 defeat.”
He added that every child knows about India’s agenda on Kashmir to create infighting and undermine brotherly ties between Pakistan and Kashmir. “This conspiracy of the Modi government will not succeed. Nothing can taint the relations between the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan,” he said.
Recalling historic moments of the PPP’s legacy, Bilawal said people would “queu up to meet Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto”, a fact also mentioned by Hillary Clinton in her book.
He added that the only time Benazir Bhutto herself stood in line was “for the people of Kashmir”, when she stood at the door of the Saudi king at an OIC meeting “with a file in hand”, telling the king that she was there “for her brothers of Kashmir”.
Bilawal said he still wanted Kashmir to become a member of the OIC. As foreign minister, he recalls chairing a meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, during which he invited the then President of Kashmir to speak.
He further recalled that PPP’s bond with Kashmir spans three generations and promised that the party would continue to champion its cause. “In six months, we will return to the Kashmiri people, seek their mandate and form the government,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Bilawal asked the newly elected AJK Prime Minister to engage directly with the public and redress their grievances at the grassroots level.
He advised Rathore to “visit every nook and corner of AJK and hold open kachehris, like Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto once did.”
