Bilawal Bhutto's remarks on Indian PM Narendra Modi could have huge repercussions for Pakistan, here's how

The recent statement of Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in America has created a new low in the field of diplomacy. His uncivilized, unparliamentary, abusive, and baseless statement about the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is not only being criticised globally but no one in Pakistan is also ready to support a motormouth like Bilawal.

Bhutto made a statement saying, "While Osama is dead, the Butcher of Gujarat lives & he is the prime minister of India." Bhutto even took a jib at RSS, the patron organisation of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party, and equated it with Hitler’s Schutzstaffel or SS. But interestingly, not a single channel in Pakistan discussed this in any debate, not a single newspaper wrote an editorial on this and not a single politician from the ruling or non-ruling elites of Pakistan made a statement. In Pakistan, this was just a news byline that faded away the next day.

Bhutto is relatively a new politician who had been away from the helms of Pakistan for a long time and is now back in politics just to claim the legacy of the erstwhile Bhutto-Zardari family of which he is the only successor. 

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So, it is pertinent for him to create a space in the emerging politics of Pakistan where all parties have joined hands against Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is struggling to exist. So, to have his position secure, he keeps making frivolous statements and the statement made on December 15, 2022, at the United Nations was another example of this. 

We all know that the very foundation on which Pakistan was created was “Hatred against India”. Both countries have fought three major wars & several localised conflicts and Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat in all of them. Anti-India rhetoric is such a tool in Pakistan that whenever the Pakistani public demands anything or questions their government, the leaders or their Army Generals give them a rattle of anti-India rhetoric, and the public forgets everything thereafter. So, this time, Bhutto also tried to encash this anti-India semantic. He thought that by using this anti-India & anti-Modi rhetoric, he will be able to impress the public but failed miserably as there are no takers to his statement in his own country.

The entire world knows the fact that Pakistan is the only country in the world to have 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN Designated terrorist organisations, with the fact that almost every radical terrorist organisation in the past half a century was born in Pakistan and most terror leaders were trained by its establishment. The list of such terror groups is very long and includes Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, Taliban, Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and many more. Interestingly, it was the Pakistan Army and the establishment which was instrumental in the creation and training of these organisations and thus it is proved beyond doubt that Pakistan is the real perpetrator of terrorism across the globe. 

With this backdrop, the recent statement of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will have serious repercussions not only for himself but also for Pakistan which is facing so many turbulences both on the internal as well as the external front. If we summarise, Pakistan is facing five major challenges. These are dwindling economy, political instability, Baloch insurgency, turbulences on the Pakistan-Afghan border including strain in Pak- Taliban relations and increasing terror attacks from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 

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When we talk of an economic crunch, Pakistan’s forex reserves have dwindled to a record low of $6.7Bn out of which nearly $4.5Bn are safe reserves and the country cannot spend this money. The country’s gold reserves are barely $3Bn and despite this, Pakistan must service a debt of $8.8Bn by end of this financial year. With these low levels of diplomacy, it will be difficult for Pakistan to convince its international lenders to roll over the debt who are expecting Pakistan to show some attitude toward peace.

Due to the overexploitation of Afghans and Baloch people by Punjabis, they have now turned their guns against the establishment itself. Pakistan is in no position to fight these groups and handle the tensions on its eastern border with India at the same time. Such statements from the foreign minister of the country will invariably create a spark in India and repercussions may be heavy. 

Pakistan is facing high levels of political instability. Elections are due in Pakistan next year and the current government is trying to convince the public to create an image in these turbulent times. Imran Khan on one hand has praised India on many fronts and is trying to impress people, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders are balanced while preparing for elections. The only exception is Bhutto who has made a self-goal by making such a statement. It will not only dent his overall image & project him as an immature, motormouth leader but also affect the political prospects of his party and himself. 

Although India has replied to his statement diplomatically, this has hurt the sentiments of the over 140 crore population of India who are not going to forget it for long.