Bilawal Bhutto’s remark on handing over terrorist Masood Azhar sparks uproar in Pakistan

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman, is facing massive backlash after he said that the country could think about handing over terrorists like Maulana Masood Azhar to India. His comment, made during a TV interview, shocked many as he called it a “confidence building measure”, but only if India agrees to work together with Pakistan on fighting terrorism.

 

 

 

This statement was made during an interview with Al Jazeera, where Bilawal also mentioned Hafiz Saeed (Lashkar-e-Taiba chief),saying he is already in custody, while Masood Azhar’s current location is unknown, possibly in Afghanistan. He added that Pakistan would be ready to act if credible information is shared by India.

 

 

Bilawal’s statement has triggered a political storm .Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by jailed former PM Imran Khan, called him “an immature political child”, and accused him of appeasing India and harming Pakistan’s image.

 

Hardline voices, including Talha Saeed, son of Hafiz Saeed and a key Lashkar-e-Taiba leader, slammed Bilawal for “insulting Pakistan” and acting “against national interest and sovereignty.”

 

Several political and religious groups have also demanded that Bilawal explain his remarks and withdraw them.

 

 

 

India has, for long, accused Pakistan of providing shelter to UN-designated terrorists like Masood Azhar, (Jaish-e-Muhammad chief), the mastermind behind several attacks including the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

 

 

Bilawal’s statement shows a clear divide within Pakistan’s leadership on how to handle terrorism. While it hints that some leaders want talks and action against terror groups, but the strong backlash from politicians and extremists also proves how deeply terrorism is linked to Pakistan’s system and how difficult it will be for any real change to take place.