Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for cooperation between India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to combat terrorism in South Asia.
His remarks came as a high-level Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, arrived in Washington, D.C., to engage with U.S. lawmakers and officials on security and diplomatic issues.
Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Bhutto Zardari said intelligence collaboration between the two rival nations could significantly reduce regional terrorism.
“I am completely confident that if ISI and RAW were ready to sit down and work together to fight these forces, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism in both India and Pakistan,” he told reporters, as quoted by Pakistan’s local newspaper.
His comments come at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries following the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which prompted Indian precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the Line of Control on 7 May.
Pakistan responded with air strikes on Indian military posts between 8 and 10 May, with hostilities subsiding only after military-level talks on 10 May.
Bhutto Zardari warned that despite a ceasefire, the threat of conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours remains. He credited former U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their role in achieving the ceasefire.
“This is a welcome first step, but it’s only a first step,” he said. “We cannot leave the fate of 1.5 billion people to non-state actors and terrorists.”
Meanwhile, the Indian delegation, which includes lawmakers from various political parties such as the BJP, Shiv Sena, JMM and TDP, is in Washington as part of a diplomatic initiative dubbed Operation Sindoor.
The effort aims to counter terrorism and disinformation following the recent attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources, the delegation will meet with members of the U.S. Congress, think tanks, and policymakers to highlight India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s alleged complicity.
Bhutto Zardari is leading a nine-member Pakistani delegation, which includes former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former information minister Sherry Rehman, and former defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan.
The group will hold meetings in New York and Washington from 2 June, with further visits to London and Brussels planned as part of a broader diplomatic outreach.
While India has insisted the recent de-escalation was a result of direct military-to-military communication, Bhutto Zardari maintained that diplomacy remains the only viable path forward. He reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to engage in broad dialogue with India, including joint efforts on counterterrorism.
Both delegations are expected to hold key meetings with U.S. government officials and lawmakers in Washington in the coming days, setting the stage for a diplomatic face-off over South Asia’s security future.
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