Pakistan, India should engage on climate change, terrorism prevention: Bilawal Bhutto

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday expressed hope that India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will not only engage with Pakistani media alongside SCO Summit in Islamabad, but the two countries will eventually engage on pressing common issues like climate change and terrorism prevention.

In an exclusive media-talk with ARY News, Bilawal Bhutto maintained that both India and Pakistan should learn from the success of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as the inherent multilateralism helps all the member countries deal with vital issues rather than engaging on bilateral differences.

“A conversation is necessary, whether today or tomorrow, both countries have their opinions on differences but why should we forget that Pakistan and India are the two most-stressed countries due to climate change. Terrorism is also a reality, whether they (India) blame us (Pakistan) and we blame RAW (India’s intelligence agency), but the issue exists, so if we engage, we will somehow reach a common point and save precious Indian and Pakistani lives,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The PPP chairman said that the future of both the countries will not pardon us if we do not engage on issues like climate change.

Bilawal Butto also expressed hope that the Indian MEA will not shy away from talking to Pakistani media and answer their questions like he (Bilawal) did while he visited India in 2023 for SCO Summit, adding that the Indian minister may raise terrorism allegations on Pakistan that suit the Indian narrative during this multilateral summit like SCO but Pakistan, being the host will not respond to make this issue-driven meeting a success.

About SCO Summit 2024 in Pakistan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2024 is taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 15-16. Hosting this prestigious event signifies Pakistan’s growing importance in regional affairs. The summit’s theme, “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue; Striving towards a sustainable peace and Prosperity,” reflects a focus on collaboration and progress.

The SCO participants will be represented by the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the vice president of Iran and the external affairs minister of India

Key Agenda includes regional security and counter-terrorism efforts, enhancing connectivity networks for trade and investment, fostering economic cooperation and addressing climate change concerns.