The head of Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation Bilawal Bhutto on Saturday said that Pakistan wanted permanent peace in South Asia, resolution of the Kashmir issue, water problems and terrorism through composite dialogue, but India was not ready in this regard.

Addressing a press conference in Brussels, the PPP chairman called upon the international community to play its role and to engage with India and emphasise that military confrontation was not a solution to the Kashmir dispute or terrorism, stressing that dialogue was the only way forward.

It was a moral obligation, he said, adding that the international community should play its part in encouraging both sides to engage in dialogue through diplomacy for peace in the region, adding that Pakistan wanted bilateral composite dialogue to tackle the issues on table.

“Escalation is not a solution to the issues between the two nuclear states,” Bilawal stressed.

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The former foreign minister said that Pakistan was desirous of durable peace in the sub-continent, but not the escalation or weaponisation of water.

The United States was willing to mediate on the Kashmir dispute, but India had always adopted a non-serious attitude to sort out problems with Pakistan, he highlighted.

He said that following the standoff with India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif nominated a parliamentary delegation to advocate for peace in the region through engaging with the international community by urging them to play a role in defusing tension between two countries.

“We believe that there is no military solution to Kashmir, terrorism and water issues between India and Pakistan. During the five days of misadventures between the two nuclear powers, the international community took serious steps to arrange a ceasefire between the two countries,” the PPP chairman added.

He said that the Kashmir dispute had been pending on the agenda of the UN for many decades.

He urged the UN to make the Kashmir issue a topmost agenda for its peaceful settlement.

Following the terrorists’ attacks in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), he said, the prime minister publicly offered an impartial investigation into the Pahalgam incident but India said no.

Bilawal Bhutto said that India illegally and unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) to cut the water supply of Pakistan, which was a clear violation of the UN charter.

He said that the IWT was the only source of water for agriculture, the agricultural economy and termed its suspension as a threat to the country’s survival.

“Pakistan is acting on the threat; we consider it a war with no choice,” he added.

“We are here to present Pakistan’s stance on recent tensions with India and expose New Delhi’s anti-Pakistan agenda,” Bilawal said.

He emphasised that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The press conference was also attended by Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation, including Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik, PPP senator Shery Rehman, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and former minister Khurram Dastagir and others.