• State Dept says US president taking steps to solve ‘generational differences’ between India and Pakistan
• Bilawal says Indus treaty ‘still intact’; accords must be honoured if New Delhi is serious about dialogue

KARACHI: As the State Department reiterated Donald Trump’s resolve to work on the Kashmir dispute, the country’s former foreign minister on Wednesday lambasted India for attempting to sabotage the US president’s peace efforts in South Asia, Dawn.com reported.

Donald Trump had offered to work on the Kashmir issue after he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the two nations’ most intense military confrontation in decades.

In a recent briefing, State Dept Spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked about the steps US plans to take in the wake of Trump’s offer. “While I can’t speak to his plans, the world knows his nature, and I can’t speak to any details of what he might have in that regard,” she said, adding that each step that he takes “is made to solve generational differences between countries”.

She further said, “[Trump] has been the only one to bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought was possible,” remaining hopeful that the Kashmir issue can also get resolved.

“It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’d want to manage something like that,” said Bruce.

Detailing the recent visit of a Pakistani delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in response to a question, she said that the delegation met with State Department officials in Washington, including Under Secretary for Pol­i­tical Affairs Allison Hooker.

She elaborated that the two parties discussed issues related to the Pak-US bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation. Hooker reiterated US support for the ongoing ceasefire.

“We also know that Dep­uty Secretary Landau met with the Indian parliamentary delegation last week, and he also reaffirmed the United States strong support of India in the fight against terrorism,” Bruce added.

Kashmir now a ‘global’ dispute

Meanwhile, heading a high-powered Pakistani delegation that is currently in the UK for talks, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that although India wanted to sabotage President Trump’s peace efforts, its efforts would be in vain, Dawn.com reported.

“The US will, if required, drag India to the table as it in the global interest that India and Pakistan make peace for regional stability and move towards development,” he said at a presser at the Pakistan High Commission in London.

The PPP chairman added that the recent conflict with India had turned the Kashmir dispute into a global issue, despite New Delhi’s attempts to call it an “internal matter.”

“During this war, there has been progress regarding Kashmir on the diplomatic front. In 2019, India thought it had turned Kashmir into an internal matter. When Trump said there should be mediation on Kashmir, the issue is now a global issue. India has been forced to accept that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.”

He said the delegation held a meeting with members of the All Parties Kashmir Conference at the British House of Commons, who accepted that the issue has been globalised and they can speak about it.

Bilawal reaffirmed that Pakistan desires peace but will defend itself from Indian aggression if attacked.

“Pakistan believes that through dialogue, all issues — whether Kashmir, water or terrorism — can be resolved. War is not the solution,” he asserted, adding the message would be conveyed to the European Commission during the visit to Brussels as well.

“India’s narrative is based on lies. Its war and post-war narrative is also based on lies. The people of India also want to live in peace.

“We have demonstrated that we can defeat India in conventional war as well as on the diplomatic front. We are talking about peace and India about war.”

Answering a question about the Indus Water Treaty, Bilawal said India had no right to suspend or terminate it, adding that as far as Pakistan was concerned, the treaty is still intact. “If we are to create an enabling environment for dialogue, it is necessary that treaties are upheld,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2025