Bilawal calls for peace to revive Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project

Bilawal criticized remarks made by a federal minister regarding Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project would be completed once conditions improve, adding that recent tensions between the United States and Iran had imposed an economic burden on Pakistan.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Bilawal said lasting peace in the region would help ease economic pressures on the Pakistani people and allow key projects, including the gas pipeline, to move forward.

He also called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to exercise greater control over his cabinet, saying some federal ministers were creating additional challenges instead of helping the government navigate difficult circumstances.

Bilawal criticized remarks made by a federal minister regarding Kashmir, describing them as inflammatory and questioning why the minister remained in the cabinet.

He said comments suggesting that residents of Rawalakot were not Kashmiris had complicated efforts to present a united position and noted that the minister had not apologized for the statement.

The PPP chairman said political disputes should be resolved through dialogue and proposed that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman be allowed to play a role in addressing the issue.

Bilawal said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was trying to steer the country through challenges by playing a constructive role, but stressed that controversial statements by members of the cabinet were undermining those efforts.