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A high-level Pakistani delegation, including three former foreign ministers, is visiting the United States as part of Islamabad’s diplomatic outreach to rally international support in the aftermath of its recent conflict with India.
In what appears to be a desperate attempt to counter India’s global diplomatic blitz following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has dispatched a high-level nine-member delegation to the United States. The move comes closely on the heels of India sending seven multi-party teams to over 30 global capitals to expose Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism.
The Pakistani delegation — a mix of former ministers, bureaucrats, and ruling coalition members — is part of Islamabad’s global campaign to garner support following its recent military confrontation with India. The carefully timed visit coincides with an Indian parliamentary delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor visiting the US to highlight India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.
Multi-city mission to push Pakistan’s narrative
“On Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's directive, a high-level multi-party delegation will visit New York, Washington DC, London and Brussels from June 2," the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday.
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Headed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the delegation seems to mimic India’s well-coordinated and successful diplomatic outreach. The move is widely seen as Islamabad’s knee-jerk reaction to India's mounting global credibility post-Pahalgam.
The delegation includes federal minister Musadik Malik, former foreign ministers Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir Khan, former ministers Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari and Sherry Rehman, Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, and two former foreign secretaries — Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
Targeting UN corridors as India leads the narrative
According to Pakistan’s Geo News, the delegation is expected to meet the UN Secretary-General, the president of the UN General Assembly, and the ambassadors of 14 of the 15 UN Security Council members, including envoys from China and Russia. This outreach seems to be an attempt to soften Pakistan’s image internationally, which has taken a beating following the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives and the subsequent Indian retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure across the Line of Control.
Parallel push in Moscow
In yet another copycat move, a second Pakistani delegation led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi, is set to visit Moscow starting June 2. However, the FO did not reveal the composition of this team.
Both delegations, the FO said, will “engage in a series of meetings with the leadership of international bodies, public office holders, senior officials, parliamentarians, think tanks, media and diaspora.”
Highlighting ‘dialogue’ after failed aggression
According to the FO, the purpose of these visits is to “project Pakistan's perspective on the recent Indian aggression,” adding that they would also “highlight that dialogue and diplomacy should take precedence over conflict and confrontation.”
“The need for immediate resumption of the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty will also be a key theme of the delegations’ outreach,” the FO added.
The sudden emphasis on dialogue comes after Pakistan’s failed attempts to target Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10. India had carried out precision strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The hostilities ended following talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of both countries on May 10.
Desperate optics, little substance
Pakistan had earlier announced that it would send experts to key capitals to share its version of the four-day conflict with India. However, with mounting evidence of cross-border terror emanating from Pakistani soil and India’s growing diplomatic traction globally, Islamabad’s “copycat diplomacy” may find little resonance.
While India asserts its position with credibility and support from several key nations, Pakistan’s attempt to reset the narrative reeks of political optics with limited diplomatic leverage.
