PPP chairman urges Delhi to honour ceasefire pledges as Malaysian premier says allegations against Islamabad unproven
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and current head of the Pakistan People’s Party, leads a delegation to Washington, which played a key mediatory role in a ceasefire after Pakistan’s conflict with India in May. Photo: AFP
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said India had “started a war based on a lie and lost miserably,” after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declined to describe Pakistan’s alleged involvement in terrorism as state-sponsored during an interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV.
“India now stands exposed internationally,” Bilawal said in a post on X, responding to a clip of Anwar’s interview with NDTV journalist Vishnu Som.
“The truth is India started a war based on a lie and lost miserably,” the PPP chairman said, adding that India must honour its commitments made at the time of the ceasefire with Pakistan.
PM of Malaysia @anwaribrahim exposing Indian propaganda, in India on Indian tv. The truth is India started a war based on a lie and lost miserably. India now stands exposed internationally. India must live up to its commitments made at the time of the ceasefire; to discuss all… https://t.co/rM1gnn0BvQ
— Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari) September 14, 2026
He urged India to discuss “all friction points with Pakistan” so the two countries could work together to bring “peace, prosperity and stability to our region.”
Anwar had been in New Delhi over the past weekend to attend the BRICS summit when he gave the interview. Som asked Anwar whether he considered Israel’s actions against Hamas to be terrorism. “Yes, it’s state terrorism,” Anwar replied, adding that it was terrorism and “state terrorism.”
Som then asked whether, by the same standard, Anwar would consider what Pakistan had allegedly done in Pahalgam, Kashmir and against India to be state terrorism. “I wouldn’t go to that extent,” Anwar said.
He acknowledged that he was being particularly sensitive because he was speaking in India, before referring to his relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “But of course, I’m a close friend of Modi ji,” the Malaysian prime minister said.
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Anwar said Malaysia continued to engage with Pakistan and, “We thought that these issues can be resolved,” he said, while also praising India as a country with a “great civilisation, great culture” and “great history.”
Som then pressed Anwar on why he was not more direct in condemning Pakistan over alleged terrorism. Anwar said the allegations first had to be established. “I mean, I’m not suggesting that there were no terrorist acts,” he said, but added that they had to be ascertained with certainty.
The Malaysian prime minister said none of his intelligence officials involved in engagement with India had told him that there had been state-sponsored terrorism. “Therefore, I, as prime minister of Malaysia, would then refer to these facts,” he said. “Do we then deny some of the information submitted to us by the Indians? No, we don’t,” he added.
Bilawal responded to the interview, saying that India must “live up to its commitments made at the time of the ceasefire” and discuss all outstanding points with Pakistan.
India-Pakistan conflict
On April 22, 2025, escalation between Pakistan and India began when an attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people. India immediately blamed Pakistan for the incident. However, Pakistan categorically rejected the blame.
In response, India undertook a series of hostile actions the next day, on April 23, including suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, cancelling visas for Pakistani citizens, closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing, ordering the shutdown of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, and reducing diplomatic staff at each other’s embassies.
Tensions further escalated in the early hours of May 7, when missile strikes hit six cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
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In a swift military response, Pakistan’s armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets. The confrontation intensified again in the early hours of May 10, when India targeted several Pakistani airbases with missile strikes. In retaliation, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, damaging Indian military installations, including missile storage sites, airbases, and other strategic targets.
On May 10, United States President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached following intense overnight diplomatic efforts. Minutes later, the agreement was confirmed separately by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian foreign secretary.
