Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari firmly refuted claims that Pakistan supports any terrorist organisation, stating in an interview with Indian media that “Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, not its facilitator”.
He emphasised that neither within nor beyond Pakistan’s borders does the state permit terrorist activities. Over the past year alone, more than 1,200 civilians lost their lives to terrorism, with a total of 92,000 casualties sustained in the country’s broader counter-terrorism efforts.
Expressing condolences over the recent Pahalgam incident in Kashmir, Zardari stressed Pakistan’s own struggle against terrorism.
He dismissed allegations made by the Indian government blaming Pakistan for the attack, asserting he is open to transparent investigations, confident such inquiries would clear Pakistan’s name.
Bilawal urges Afghan govt to fulfil commitments under Doha Agreement
Zardari noted that modern technology has not enabled India to identify the perpetrators, accusing Indian media of spreading “false propaganda” and misleading the public .
He also traced the origins of terrorism to Afghanistan, highlighting the role of Al-Qaeda and similar groups, some of which operated in Kashmir under the banner of jihad.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) Wednesday declared the Swat tragedy a result of gross negligence and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
In a written judgment on a petition filed against encroachments on rivers and the Swat incident, the court stated that the tragic event that occurred on June 27 in the Swat River was due to the serious negligence of the concerned authorities.
The judgment noted that 17 precious lives were lost due to the failure of officials, and no emergency measures such as helicopters were used to rescue tourists, terming it a clear sign of criminal negligence in public service.
The court also pointed out that illegal construction of hotels and buildings along rivers such as the Swat, Panjkora, Dir, Indus, Kabul, and Charsadda has become common, posing a severe threat to human lives. The existence of these unauthorized structures reflects the failure and silent complicity of the relevant institutions.
The court directed the investigation committee formed on the Swat tragedy to submit its preliminary findings within 7 days and a detailed report within 14 days. The Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also instructed to clarify what steps have been taken so far to ensure public safety.
This firm action by the court is seen as a landmark step towards ensuring accountability and protecting lives in the future.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference. — AFP/File
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari categorically rejected the India’s allegations of patronising terrorist groups, saying that the country had successfully cleared the rigorous FATF process.
In an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, Bilawal said: “Pakistan does not willingly permit […] the groups you mentioned or any group to conduct terrorist attacks outside of Pakistan but also within Pakistan.”
Highlighting the country’s losses during the war against terrorism, the PPP lawmaker said that the world is well aware that Pakistan faced the brunt of terrorism over the past many decades.
“Pakistan is fighting and has been fighting the largest inland war against terrorism. We’ve lost 92,000 lives altogether. Just last year, we lost more than 1,200 civilian lives in more than 200 different terrorist attacks.”
“At the rate at which terrorist attacks are taking place just this year alone, if they continue at this pace, this year will be the bloodiest year in Pakistan’s history.”
Recalling the assassination of his mother and former premier Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal said: “I too am a victim of terrorism. I feel the pain of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. I understand the trauma that their families are experiencing in a way more than many others can ever imagine.”
He also elaborated on Pakistan’s ongoing battle to root out the menace, saying: “Pakistan went through a process where we not only took military action against terrorist groups within Pakistan.”
He said that in the previous Zardari’s tenure, Pakistan conducted an operation in South Waziristan following Benazir’s assassination, and the next government conducted another operation in North Waziristan.
‘Rigorous’ FATF process
“We implemented a National Action Plan as far as our actions against the groups of concern to India. Most recently, we went through a rigorous FATF [Financial Action Task Force] process.”
He added that the international community was very well aware and endorsed Pakistan’s actions against said terrorist groups.
Bilawal added that the FATF is a very rigorous process that has a complete monitoring mechanism, so it’s not like you can hide from it.
Slamming the Indian allegations, Bilawal said that immediately after the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly stated that Islamabad is “willing to be part of any impartial international inquiry into the incident, our hands are clean.”
“We had that sort of confidence. It was the Indian government that rebuffed that offer. To this day, the Indian government has not shared with Pakistan or the international community.”
Pakistan and India engaged in a military confrontation in May, triggered by April’s Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack.
Bilawal had also led a parliamentary delegation that visited global capitals on a mission to debunk the Indian propaganda in the aftermath of the recent conflict between the two countries.
The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones, and artillery fire during the four-day fighting —their worst in decades — before agreeing to a ceasefire.
In response to the Indian aggression, Pakistan’s armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.
The ceasefire was first announced by US President Donald Trump on social media after Washington held talks with both sides, but India has differed with Trump’s claims that it resulted from his intervention and threats to sever trade talks.
However, Pakistan has acknowledged Trump’s efforts and formally recommended him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and India last month.
Turkish energy firms will explore for oil and gas offshore Pakistan under agreements with local companies, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Pakistan on Wednesday.
“This is one of the outcomes of the more institutionalized approach we are working to establish,” Fidan said, without elaborating on the exploration drilling plans and activities.
Turkey and Pakistan are also evaluating potential cooperation in oil and gas exploration and production, mining, and rare earth elements, the minister added.
Earlier this year, Pakistan signed an agreement with Turkey to jointly explore and potentially develop oil and gas resources offshore Pakistan.
Turkish Petroleum Corporation, or TPAO, and Pakistan’s three national oil companies will make joint bids for some blocks in this year’s tender for 40 offshore blocks in Pakistan, Turkey’s Energy Ministry said in April.
“This step will deepen the strategic energy partnership between Türkiye and Pakistan and will also be an important threshold in terms of regional energy security,” Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a statement.
Pakistan has recorded the first substantial increase in its domestic oil reserves since 2020, with new discoveries and higher production leading to a 23% annual increase in reserves to 238 million barrels as of December 2024.
The key fields contributing to the increase include Pasakhi/Pasakhi North East, Rajian, Kunar, Sono, Thora, Jhandial, and Lashari Centre, according to a report by Arif Habib Limited cited by Pakistani media.
Natural gas reserves in Pakistan remained relatively flat last year compared to the gas reserve estimate for 2023.
Despite an increase in domestic oil reserves, Pakistan relies on imports to meet its demand.
Turkey, for its part, is boosting domestic natural gas production in its Black Sea waters and is looking to expand its international partnerships in oil and gas exploration in Bulgaria’s Black Sea, in the Caspian Sea region, and in Iraq.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari speaks during an interview with AFP at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC. — AFP/File
Pakistan fighting largest inland war against terrorism: Bilawal.
Says cannot hide anything after going through FATF process.
Adds Pakistan offered impartial inquiry but India rejected.
Former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari rejected India’s claims of patronising terrorist groups to conduct attacks outside of Pakistan.
In an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, Bilawal said: “Pakistan does not willingly permit […] the groups you mentioned or any group to conduct terrorist attacks outside of Pakistan but also within Pakistan.”
Highlighting the country’s losses during the war against terrorism, the PPP lawmaker said that the world is well aware that Pakistan faced the brunt of terrorism over the past many decades.
“Pakistan is fighting and has been fighting the largest inland war against terrorism. We’ve lost 92,000 lives altogether. Just last year, we lost more than 1,200 civilian lives in more than 200 different terrorist attacks.”
“At the rate at which terrorist attacks are taking place just this year alone, if they continue at this pace, this year will be the bloodiest year in Pakistan’s history.”
Recalling the assassination of his mother and former premier Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal said: “I too am a victim of terrorism. I feel the pain of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. I understand the trauma that their families are experiencing in a way more than many others can ever imagine.”
He also elaborated on Pakistan’s ongoing battle to root out the menace, saying: “Pakistan went through a process where we not only took military action against terrorist groups within Pakistan.”
He said that in the previous Zardari’s tenure, Pakistan conducted an operation in South Waziristan following Benazir’s assassination, and the next government conducted another operation in North Waziristan.
‘Rigorous’ FATF process
“We implemented a National Action Plan as far as our actions against the groups of concern to India. Most recently, we went through a rigorous FATF [Financial Action Task Force] process.”
He added that the international community was very well aware and endorsed Pakistan’s actions against said terrorist groups.
Bilawal added that the FATF is a very rigorous process that has a complete monitoring mechanism, so it’s not like you can hide from it.
Slamming the Indian allegations, Bilawal said that immediately after the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly stated that Islamabad is “willing to be part of any impartial international inquiry into the incident, our hands are clean.”
“We had that sort of confidence. It was the Indian government that rebuffed that offer. To this day, the Indian government has not shared with Pakistan or the international community.”
Pakistan and India engaged in a military confrontation in May, triggered by April’s Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack.
Bilawal had also led a parliamentary delegation that visited global capitals on a mission to debunk the Indian propaganda in the aftermath of the recent conflict between the two countries.
The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones, and artillery fire during the four-day fighting —their worst in decades — before agreeing to a ceasefire.
In response to the Indian aggression, Pakistan’s armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.
The ceasefire was first announced by US President Donald Trump on social media after Washington held talks with both sides, but India has differed with Trump’s claims that it resulted from his intervention and threats to sever trade talks.
However, Pakistan has acknowledged Trump’s efforts and formally recommended him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and India last month.
Glaciers across northern Pakistan have been melting at an accelerated pace as a result of record-breaking summer temperatures, leading to deadly flash flooding and landslides.
The floods and heavy monsoon rains have caused devastation across the country this summer, killing at least 72 people and injuring more than 130 since the rains began in late June.
In the country’s mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, temperatures have risen as high as 48.5C (119.3F), which local officials described as unprecedented in a region that is more than 1,200 metres above sea level and famous for its snow-capped mountains. The previous record was 47 degrees, set in 1971.
The region, which spans the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram mountain ranges, has witnessed an acceleration in the melting of its glaciers in the past week.
It has led to the swelling of the local rivers and the formation of unstable lakes that have burst, triggering flash floods and landslides that have washed away villages and roads, cutting off some communities entirely and leaving others without power or drinking water.
The head of Gilgit-Baltistan’s disaster management authority, Zakir Hussain, said the region was facing a “very serious situation” and described the fast formation of volatile glacial lakes as “highly hostile” to people’s safety.
He said those in some areas close to the glaciers were being evacuated from their homes. “We are facing a flood situation in many areas,” he said. “The rise of temperature has sent a shiver down our spines. We have never before witnessed such weather here.”
He said it could be just the beginning and that the region remained on high alert as warnings of high temperatures continued.
There are about 7,200 glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan, though their number and size has diminished over recent years as a result of the climate emergency. The glaciers feed vital river basins and are an essential part of Pakistan’s water supply.
Tariq Ali, a resident in Gilgit, said the flash floods and high temperatures had devastated swathes of agricultural land, which most people relied on for their livelihoods.
“It is like hell,” said Ali. “There has been no rain for quite some time, we are only seeing heatwaves and are witnessing very serious ice-melting. I personally have never witnessed such summer conditions in Gilgit.”
Pakistan, with a population of 240 million, is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of the climate crisis, facing erratic rains and a high risk of floods and severe heatwaves. . Devastating flash floods in 2022 killed at least 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million.
Experts say the country may be facing a repeat of the 2022 floods. Punjab province has recorded heavy rainfall in recent days, resulting in urban flooding. The authorities have said above-average rainfall will continue in the coming days.
A family died while on holiday last month after they were swept away by the Swat River in northern Pakistan after heavy rains and flash floods.
Pakistan’s former climate change minister Sherry Rehman said not enough was being done to prepare and protect the country. “We are at the epicentre of a global climate polycrisis,” she wrote on X. “Pakistan is now number one in 2025 as the most climate-impacted country. That’s huge. But do you see alarm bells ringing? I don’t.”
