In A Copycat Move, Pakistan To Send Bilawal Bhutto On Global Peace Mission For ‘Image Makeover’ – News18

Last Updated:May 18, 2025, 09:29 IST

Sources say Pakistan wants to use the opportunity to rebrand itself from a terror-sponsored state to a peace state. Pak Army wants to capitalise on Bhuttos’ legacy through Bilawal

In order to salvage its image after drawing international attention to its support for terrorism in the wake of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has announced plans to send Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to lead its global peace mission.

In a copy-cat move after New Delhi announced plans to send its delegation abroad to present a case against terrorism, Islamabad has chosen Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to counter Indian delegation that includes Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

“I was contacted earlier today by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who requested that I lead a delegation to present Pakistan’s case for peace on the international stage. I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times,” Bilawal said in a Facebook post.

According to top intelligence sources, the Pakistani Army believes Bilawal’s Western education and command over English make him a “fit case” to represent Islamabad against Tharoor and others from the Indian delegation at the Global Peace Mission.

Sources reveal that Pakistan wants to use the mission as an opportunity to rebrand its country on a global platform from a terror-sponsored state to a peace-loving state. The Army wants to capitalise on Bhuttos’ diplomatic legacy through Bilawal.

Bilawal’s mother and Pakistani former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, and grandfather and former Pakistani president, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, positioned the PPP as a party of peace and democracy.

Choosing Bilawal for the peace mission seems a calculated political and diplomatic strategy by Pakistan’s civilian-army establishment, the sources said.

Bilawal and Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, along with former Punjab CM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz propagated themselves as new young leaders of Pakistan.

Bilawal has always distanced himself from older rivals such as Nawaz Sharif and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

While PM Shehbaz Sharif has proven to be military’s preferred administrator, Bilawal’s peace mission could serve as a soft-power diversion to mask Pakistan’s hybrid warfare tactics and ISI-backed terrorism, as per sources.

Sources reveal to CNN-News18 that Bilawal has been given three tasks at the Global Peace Mission:

After the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan faces scrutiny for sheltering groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, whose terror camps were destroyed by the Indian Armed Forces in airstrikes. Thus, Bilawal has been tasked with lobbying at forums such as the United Nations and European Union to counter India’s narrative of Pakistan as a terror exporter.

Bilawal will position Pakistan as a peaceful investment destination and will cite the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as an example. The CPEC, which began in 2015, is a $62 billion project under China’s Belt and Road plan. It connects China’s Xinjiang region to Gwadar Port in Pakistan. It includes over 3,000 km of highways, railways, pipelines, and power projects.

Lastly, Bilawal will put a case for Kashmir at the global platform and reframe the issue as a humanitarian crisis. He has been asked by the Pakistani Army to seek a third-party mediation that could be a cause of concern for India.

Top Indian government sources reveal that Bilawal has been made a scapegoat so that the Pakistani Army continues giving support to terror proxy groups.

Bilawal should be tread carefully as his move could undermine his credibility in India, who sees Pakistan’s mission as hypocrisy. It is nothing but a PR stunt guided by the Pakistani army to counter India’s move to declare Pakistan a terror state, the sources pointed out.

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