NEW YORK (Kashmir Digital): Pakistan could have shot down 20 Indian fighter jets but chose not to, said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during his visit to New York.
Speaking to the Overseas Pakistani community on Wednesday, the former foreign minister said that Pakistan’s response to recent tensions with India showed maturity and responsibility.
Bilawal, who is leading a nine-member high-level parliamentary delegation, is in the United States to present Pakistan’s side of the story following the recent military standoff with India.
The delegation includes Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt, and Syed Faisal Subzwari.
He told the gathering that the Pakistan Air Force had 20 Indian aircraft in its sights during the confrontation but chose not to bring them down.
“Pakistan reacted very responsibly as a mature nuclear power. We could have dropped 20 planes. But the Pakistani air force restrained themselves. The military high command demonstrated their rationality, and only targeted those six planes that dropped their load on Pakistan,” he said.
He stressed that Pakistan never had aggressive intentions and only acted in self-defence after being targeted. “Our strikes into India only took place after India fired missile strikes into Pakistani territory as international law and the United Nations charter provides for our right to self-defence,” he said.
Bilawal warned that Indian military actions earlier in May had made the region more dangerous. He said India had struck civilian infrastructure in its May 7 operation, targeting places of worship, dams, and energy sites. Pakistan claims the attack led to civilian casualties, including women and children.
India has accused Pakistan of backing a terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), an allegation Bilawal firmly denied. He pointed out that Pakistan had condemned the attack and had even offered to take part in an international investigation, but India had refused.
“India decided to be judge, jury and executioner,” he said, criticising New Delhi for refusing to share evidence or cooperate diplomatically.
Bilawal highlighted the serious dangers of any further escalation between the two nuclear-armed countries.
He said that a future misstep could lead to a nuclear conflict with consequences for the entire world. For this reason, he said, it is crucial for Pakistan to reach out to the international community and ask for help in preventing conflict.
He urged countries like the United States to step in and help reduce tensions between the two neighbours. “A war between India and Pakistan is not in anyone’s interest,” he said, calling for peace through dialogue and diplomacy, guided by international law and mutual respect.
Bilawal also underlined that any future talks must include the Kashmir issue, calling it a “key component of any comprehensive dialogue.” He said the people of Kashmir deserve justice and the right to decide their future, as promised under UN Security Council resolutions.
“The longer we allow this wound to fester, the more we continue to ignore the plight of the people of Kashmir,” he said, warning of growing frustration among Kashmiris.
He also voiced concerns over India’s alleged violations of the Indus Waters Treaty and the treatment of people in Kashmir, again calling on the international community to take notice.
At the Cornell Club NYC, engaged with the Overseas Pakistani Society and also interacted with Pakistan’s talented and promising youth and students abroad, our brightest future. Spoke on India’s unprovoked aggression, targeting of civilians & alarming weaponisation of water… pic.twitter.com/txchLYwunW
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 4, 2025
