Following India, Pakistan Plans to Send MPs for International Outreach

International Outreach: The first indication of Pakistan’s plans to mount a similar campaign came on Saturday evening from Bhutto-Zardari, who said in a social media post that he had been approached by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to lead the delegation.

“I was contacted earlier today by Prime Minister @CMShehbaz, who requested that I lead a delegation to present Pakistan’s case for peace on the international stage. I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times,” said Bhutto-Zardari, whose Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a key ally of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

This comes as the Indian government selected 7 MPs to lead respective delegations to assigned countries and present India's evidence and stance on the zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and the Pahalgam terror attack, which led to Operation Sindoor.

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The seven Indian delegations comprising parliamentarians, political leaders and former diplomats, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, are set to travel to key capitals in North America, Europe and West Asia.

However, India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has already made it clear that India is willing to hold talks with Pakistan only on the issue of terrorism and the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until cross-border terrorism backed by Islamabad is "irrevocably stopped".

They will be conveying India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Members of Parliament from different parties, prominent political personalities, and distinguished diplomats are be part of each delegation.

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On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor and carried out a series of precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in territories controlled by Pakistan. This triggered four days of intense armed confrontation between the two sides, using drones, missiles and long-range weapons, till they reached an understanding on halting firing and military actions on May 10.

The last time Pakistan copied India was not too long ago, when their Prime Minister visited a military base in Sialkot, copy-pasting the move from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who went to Adampur airbase in Punjab and interacted with air warriors and jawans.

He also addressed them with the S-400 air defence system in the background - which Pakistan had claimed to have shot down.

Shehbaz Sharif too visited the Sialkot base and addressed the Pakistani army soldiers, claiming a sham "victory" against India in the brief four-day air battle.

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