From threat to dialogue: Bilawal Bhutto pivots to peace as India tightens screws

His remarks come even as New Delhi escalates its crackdown on Islamabad in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

Addressing Pakistan's National Assembly on Tuesday, Bhutto said Pakistan is a "victim of terrorism and does not export it," according to Pakistani daily Dawn. He asserted that Pakistan fights for freedom, not war.

"If India wishes to walk the path of peace, let them come with open hands and not clenched fists. Let them come with facts and not fabrication. Let us sit as neighbours and speak the truth," Bhutto told lawmakers.

The PPP chairman, who is also the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, added, "If they do not ... then let them remember that the people of Pakistan are not made to kneel. The people of Pakistan have a resolve to fight, not because we love conflict, but because we love freedom."

Tensions escalated sharply after the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were killed by terrorists allegedly backed by Pakistan.

In retaliation, India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty—a move that provoked an incendiary response from Bhutto.

At a public rally, he had warned, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours. Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will."

He has since appeared to temper that rhetoric, telling the BBC that the comment was not a personal outburst but rather an expression of popular sentiment.

"After India violated the treaty, it came not as a personal natural reaction from my side, but an articulation of the feelings of the people of Pakistan," he said.

Meanwhile, India has taken additional steps to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and economically.

Bhutto’s social media profile on X has been suspended, along with those of several key Pakistani figures.

India has also sealed the land border, closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft, cancelled visas for Pakistani nationals, suspended trade ties, and reduced diplomatic engagement.

Amid this high-tension backdrop, speculation is growing over the possibility of a military strike, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces full operational freedom to respond to the Pahalgam attack.