Dawn
-
17:39 May 17, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday tasked PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to present Pakistan’s “case for peace” on the global arena in the aftermath of the recent military escalation with India. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as tensions over last month’s Pahalgam attack continued to build up. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10, when tensions between the two countries peaked, for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached. India has since continued its aggressive posturing even as Pakistan has warned against any further military aggression and offered talks. The military flare-up saw China expressing solid diplomatic support to Pakistan, but there wasn...