‘Individuals of Concern’
PPP Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed Pakistan’s openness to extraditing “individuals of concern” to India, emphasizing that such a step could serve as a confidence-building measure between the two countries, provided that India cooperates fully in the process.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Bilawal addressed the sensitive issue amid ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, particularly following the April attack in India-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan without presenting clear evidence. This accusation triggered a four-day military conflict in May, which only ended after intervention by the United States.
Bilawal reiterated his longstanding call for dialogue between Pakistan and India to establish lasting peace in the region. When questioned about the possibility of extraditing key terrorist figures such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as gestures of goodwill, Bilawal made it clear that Pakistan would not oppose such actions as part of a comprehensive dialogue where terrorism is openly discussed.
He pointed out that both LeT and JeM are banned organizations in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing, while Masood Azhar is proscribed by Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA).
However, Bilawal explained that prosecuting these individuals for cross-border terrorism has been challenging due to India’s lack of cooperation, including refusal to present necessary evidence or allow witnesses to testify in Pakistani courts.
“If India is willing to cooperate fully and engage in this legal process, I am confident there would be no obstacle to extraditing any individual of concern,” Bilawal stated.
He also voiced concern over what he called the “new abnormal” in India’s approach to counterterrorism, where any terrorist attack within India is equated with grounds for war with Pakistan.
Bilawal warned that this dangerously lowers the threshold for military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, putting the fate of 1.7 billion people in the hands of “nameless, faceless non-state actors” rather than responsible governments.
Regarding the current status of the two terrorists, Bilawal confirmed that Hafiz Saeed remains in Pakistani custody, countering Indian claims that he is free. He also said Islamabad believes Masood Azhar is in Afghanistan, stating that if India provides credible evidence that Azhar is on Pakistani soil, Pakistan would act immediately to arrest him.
Bilawal accused India of using unproven terrorist allegations to justify aggression against Pakistan, saying, “We went to war on a lie. This sets a dangerous precedent where accusations alone can lead to war, and India is exploiting this to attack a sovereign Muslim country.”
The PPP chairman’s remarks highlight Pakistan’s willingness to engage in dialogue and take practical steps toward peace, while also underscoring ongoing mistrust and unresolved issues in India-Pakistan relations.
