- Says Kashmir dispute can trigger Pak-India nuclear war
WASHINGTON, January 31: : Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said hostilities will be created if US President Donald Trump’s ban restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries is extended to Pakistan.
“As far as the ban is concerned I believe it only has detrimental effects on the countries that are included, if that extends to Pakistan, it will create a whole host of hostilities that would be very negative indicators that United States is turning away from those very ideas that it stood for,” Bilawal said during a discussion held at the United States Institute of Peace.
Bilawal started his address speaking on how fault lines had been drawn between ideas and nations, and that history would remember this time as a deeply dividing era. “A shared vision of order and independence has been replaced by angry nationalism,” Bilawal said, adding that this should not be the new normal.
The PPP chairman stressed that extremism was not a tap that could be turned on and off. He added that Pakistan was fighting the biggest war against terrorism and it seemed as if the country was doing it on its own.
US President Donald Trump has drawn criticism at home and abroad over an executive order which restricts citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the US, as well as barring refugees.
In a recent interview, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus while defending US President Trump’s decision said, “You can point to other countries that have similar problems like Pakistan and others – perhaps we need to take it further.”
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that there is no visible success in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s internal and foreign policy.
During his address at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Bilawal Bhutto further said that there will be no peace and prosperity in the region, unless Kashmir issue is addressed. He said that Pakistan and India could go to a nuclear war if Kashmir dispute is not resolved.
The PPP chairman hoped that India would not use water as a weapon against Pakistan. “Pakistan’s role and sacrifices in the war against terrorism cannot be ignored,” he added. Bilawal said that Islamic extremism was not a tap that can be turned on and off.
Speaking on the relations with new administration in United States, Bilawal said that nothing could be said about Trump administration’s future policy regarding Pakistan. Pakistan, he acknowledged, has a lot to answer for when it comes to treating minorities in Pakistan and added that PPP will do legislation for minorities after coming into power. -DNA/Agencies
