7 hours ago
Last Updated:May 01, 2025, 20:31 IST
Earlier, Hanif Abbas and Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif had engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling against India.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), issued a veiled nuclear threat against India. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that any fresh conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate into nuclear war, joining a growing list of Pakistani leaders issuing veiled threats amid heightened regional tensions.
Earlier, Pakistani ministers Hanif Abbasi and Khawaja Asif (its defence minister) and its envoy to the US Sheikh Rizwan have issued both veiled and direct threats to use nuclear weapons.
“Given the volatile nature of relations between Pakistan and India, it is crucial that tensions be managed before they turn into something far worse," he said.
The threats come after India vowed to punish perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack as well as its planners. Pakistan has been lobbying actively in global forums in a failed bid to paint India as the aggressor after India threatened to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance.
Bilawal had at the time also made inflammatory comments saying that “either their blood or our water will flow through Indus", threatening war if India suspends the water-sharing treaty. India had threatened to hold the treaty in abeyance as a response to the Pahalgam attack on April 23, a day after terrorists from and trained in Pakistan killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists.
Pakistan retains the option to use nuclear weapons first against non-nuclear military threats. India, on the other hand, follows a No First Use (NFU) policy, which states that it will not use nuclear weapons unless attacked with them first.
The PPP chairman told Sky News that Pakistan’s armed forces, across land, air and sea, were fully prepared to respond to any Indian aggression. Citing past wars between the two countries, he said Islamabad had no interest in fuelling tensions but cautioned that both nations being nuclear-armed made the current situation particularly dangerous.
Bilawal urged the international community to step in and stop the spiral before it deepens. He also demanded an independent investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack. If diplomacy fails, he warned, the fallout could put regional peace at risk.
Location :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:News world After 'Blood Will Flow' Rant, Bilawal Bhutto Adds Voice To Pakistan's Nuclear Posturing
