Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell chief Amit Malviya reacted to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) president Bilawal Bhutto’s admission about Pakistan’s history with the extremist elements, saying that the fear was ‘palpable’.
This comes in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack of last week, which resulted in the death of 26 people, including 25 Indians. Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high since then.
Malviya shared a screenshot of the Sky News article in which Bhutto admitted his country's past ties with terror organisations.
"The fear is palpable," Malviya wrote along with the screenshot in his X post.
The PPP chief acknowledged Pakistan's history with extremism in a conversation with Sky News's Yalda Hakim and claimed that Pakistan has suffered as a result of such ties and has since reformed.
{{/usCountry}}The PPP chief acknowledged Pakistan's history with extremism in a conversation with Sky News's Yalda Hakim and claimed that Pakistan has suffered as a result of such ties and has since reformed.
{{/usCountry}}"As far as what the defence minister said, I don't think it is a secret that Pakistan has a past... As a result, we have suffered, Pakistan has suffered. We have gone through wave after wave of extremism. But as a result of what we suffered, we also learned our lessons. We have gone through internal reforms to address this problem," Bhutto said during the interview.
The son of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari also claimed that though such ties were an unfortunate part of his country's history, the nation no longer indulged in them.
On the other hand, he addressed a rally in Mirpur Khas on Thursday and claimed that Pakistan wanted peace but was ready for war if India provoked them.
"Pakistan is a peaceful country, and Islam is a peaceful religion. We do not want war, but if someone attacks our Sindhu, then they should be ready for war. We don't beat the drums of war, but if provoked, the roar of a united Pakistan will be deafening," he said in the rally.
Bilawal Bhutto's admission follows one by Pakistan’s defence minister Khwaja Asif
Bilawal Bhutto's remarks come just days after a similar admission by Pakistan’s defence minister Khwaja Asif, when he acknowledged the country's involvement in backing and funding terrorist groups, a charge India has been pretty vocal about for years, while Islamabad continuously denied it in the past.
In a video clip that went viral on social media recently, Asif was in conversation with Sky News's Yalda Hakim when she asked him if he admitted to his country's long history of backing and supporting terror organisations through funding and training.
"We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, and the West, including Britain. That was a mistake, and we suffered for that, and that is why you are saying this to me. If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, Pakistan's track record was unimpeachable," Asif said in response.
The admission from Pakistan's top echelon comes against the backdrop of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. The Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed terror group with deep ties to Pakistan, orchestrated the attack.