Journalist's question wrecks Bilawal Bhutto's 'Muslims demonised' in India claim

Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, recently faced public embarrassment at a United Nations press briefing after he was fact-checked by a journalist for making unsubstantial claims that Muslims were being 'demonised' in India.

Bhutto, who is part of Islamabad's diplomatic team at the UN, made the comment during a press conference while reiterating Pakistan's stance on Kashmir. He alleged that the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians, was being politicised to vilify Indian Muslims.

However, a journalist attending the event called out the sweeping generalisation. Drawing from personal experience, the journalist pointed out that Indian Army briefings, including those on Operation Sindoor, were conducted by Muslim officers themselves.

"You said that the recent terrorist attack in Kashmir is being used as a political tool to demonise Muslims in India. But, sir, I have watched briefings on both sides, and as far as I recall, there were Muslim Indian military officers who were conducting the briefings on the Indian side," the journalist countered.

The remark visibly unsettled Bhutto, who offered no rebuttal and merely acknowledged, "As far as the operations are concerned, you're absolutely right".

The journalist's reference was to the media briefings on Operation Sindoor held by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who gained nationwide prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

Bilawal Bhutto is currently leading a parliamentary delegation to the United States, tasked with presenting Islamabad's version of recent regional tensions. The visit comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the April 22 terror attack.

The composition of the Pakistani delegation seems to mirror India's recent diplomatic outreach, where an all-party parliamentary team, including opposition leaders such as Shashi Tharoor and Assaddudin Owaisis, has been touring several countries to present New Delhi's stance in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK). The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours on May 10.

India has said that the Army's fierce counter-attack forced Pakistan to plead for ending the hostilities.