Zardari Appeals For Peace as He Claims India Prepares for Another Regional Conflict

Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said that India was preparing for “another war” and urged New Delhi to resume dialogue instead of escalating tensions. Addressing a joint session of Parliament, Zardari stated that as a long-time advocate of regional peace, he would not recommend conflict. “India’s leaders say they are preparing for another war. As a lifelong advocate of regional peace, I would not recommend it,” he said during his speech.

There was no immediate official response from the Indian government to Zardari’s remarks. India and Pakistan experienced a four-day military face-off in May last year following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Since then, relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have remained strained, with diplomatic engagement largely limited.

In his address, Zardari also asserted that Pakistan would not allow any domestic or foreign entity to use neighbouring territory to destabilise the country. Referring to a recent United Nations report, he said the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan posed an extra-regional threat. He warned that ignoring the issue could expose other nations to catastrophic attacks and called for stronger action against militant safe havens.

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The president said Pakistan had pursued diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation arising from what he described as terrorist incursions from Afghanistan. He alleged that despite commitments made in Doha, the Afghan de facto authorities had failed to prevent militant groups from operating from their soil. Zardari urged the Afghan Taliban to dismantle such networks and cautioned against allowing Afghanistan to become a battlefield for the ambitions of other countries.

Zardari also addressed broader regional developments, condemning ongoing hostilities involving Iran and expressing support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He criticised reported attacks on the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He also offered condolences over the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and reiterated Pakistan’s support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

The session marked Zardari’s ninth address to a joint sitting of Parliament as president. His speech was disrupted by protests from members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who raised slogans demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Despite the interruptions, Zardari continued his address, underscoring Pakistan’s foreign policy positions and calling for regional stability through dialogue rather than confrontation.

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