Washington: Pakistan has launched a wide -based commitment campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent peak of tensions with India and counteract the growing presence of lobbying New Delhi here.
A high -level Pakistani delegation, consisting of two former ministers of foreigners, two former secretaries of foreigners, two former ambassadors to the United States and a federal minister in service, arrived in New York on Sunday for consultations at the United Nations.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar, Senator Sherry Rehman, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Mussadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir, Bushra Anjum Butt and Faisal Sabzwari compress the delegation.
The group will meet with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, the president of the UN General Assembly, ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council, and will address a joint session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Envades (IIC).
The delegation will begin its commitments on June 3, with meetings planned with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, senior administration officials, legislators, Think-Tank analysts and leading media organizations. His approach will be to transmit Pakistan’s concerns about regional security and respond to what he calls the “staggered movements” of India.
This scope is part of a two -way strategy that involves official and informal commitments.
Another formal delegation of Islamabad, which is expected to be directed by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, is also due to discussions related to trade with US officials.
On the Indian side, a parallel delegation led by the deputy of Congress, Shashi Tharoor, will also be launched in Washington on June 3, while the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of India, Vikram Misri, concluded an official three -day visit last week.
“It is no longer just border skirmishes,” said a superior Pakistani diplomat. “It’s about shaping international narrative to reflect terrestrial realities.”
In Islamabad, there is a growing concern that New Delhi has moved quickly to frame the conflict in a way that revives Pakistan’s scrutiny in multilateral bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the UN. Pakistan’s counteroffensive seeks to avoid what he sees as an Indian effort to turn the recent crisis into a long -term diplomatic responsibility for Islamabad.
“This is a political campaign disguised as financial supervision,” said a Pakistani official, referring to the impulse of India to visit Pakistan’s Fatf status again. “We left the Gray list in 2022 after implementing a comprehensive reform program. There is no technical basis to reopen that file.”
The former diplomats in the delegation emphasize that the Pakistan approach focuses on transparency, moderation and reform. “We replied with maturity when they were caused. That is the story we tell here, with facts, not slogans,” said a member.
Senator Sherry Rehman, who is also part of the visiting delegation, emphasized that Pakistan is advancing his own priorities while actively responding to Indian narratives.
“We have our own agenda to advance, but when the Indian accusations are mentioned, they are not mistaken: we will use the forensic chapter and the objective verse. The myth will not be allowed to become the message in Pakistan this time,” he said.
Dar-Alamy call
Separately, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy agreed to strengthen cooperation in multilateral forums, particularly in the United Nations Security Council.
The understanding occurred during a conversation between the two diplomats, after Lammy’s recent visit to Pakistan, his first official trip, during which he met with senior officials in the midst of high tensions with the Indian neighbor.
The two parties also agreed to remain in contact and meet again outside the high -level UN events scheduled in New York at the end of this month.
Posted in Dawn, June 2, 2025
