Bilawal Bhutto, ex-foreign minister of Pakistan, has drawn sharp rebuttals over his extradition offer to India. Opposition leaders have criticized this offer. Hardline groups and even the son of the 26/11 mastermind have also rebuked him.
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari gave an interview to Al Jazeera on Friday, July 4, 2025. He said Islamabad “would not be opposed” to the extradition of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. Additionally, they would consider the extradition of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a ‘confidence-building’ measure.
Bhutto’s statement that sparked political storm
In the interview, Bhutto was responding to a question. It was about extraditing Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Chief Hafiz Saeed. The extradition of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar was also discussed. These were considered possible concessions and good-faith gestures to India.
“As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, terrorism is one of the issues that we discuss. I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things,” Mr. Bilawal said.
Bhutto said that Saeed is in custody. Azhar is believed to be in Afghanistan. “If the Indian government shares information with us about Masood Azhar being on Pakistani soil, we will arrest him,” he said.
Mr. Bilawal said that cases prosecuted against these “individuals” were those related to Pakistan, such as terrorist financing. However, he noted that prosecuting them for cross-border terrorism was difficult due to what he claimed was “noncompliance” from Delhi.
“India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place,” he said. “It’s important … to present evidence within these courts, for people to come over from India to testify, to put up with whatever the counter-accusations will be.”
“If India is willing to cooperate in that process, there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern. I am sure of this,” he added.
Mr. Bilawal also expressed concern about India’s vow to pursue terrorists, calling it a “new abnormal”. “This does not serve the interests of Pakistan, and it does not serve the interests of India,” he added.
Status of LeT and JeM
Behind every overture offered by Pakistan, there has been a ploy to deceive and harm India till date. Pakistan supports terror outfits such as Hafiz Saeed’s Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT). Another group is Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). These remain a bone of contention between the two nations.
Officially, both LeT and JeM have been banned by Pakistan, according to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). Both the organisations are recognised as terrorist outfits by the UN. Saeed, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing. He has been in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019. A proxy of LeT also took responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025.
Masood Azhar is one of India’s most wanted terrorists. He has links to several major attacks in the nation. These attacks include the 26/11 attacks and the 2001 Parliament attack. They also include the 2016 Pathankot airbase strike and the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. India released Azhar from its custody in 1999. This was part of a hostage swap deal during the Flight 814 Kandahar hijack. Azhar is a UN-designated global terrorist. He has been proscribed by NACTA. He has been living in an undisclosed place for the last many years.
Also read: Bilawal Bhutto admits Allegiance of ISI and Pakistan Army with Terrorists
Bhutto Draws Fierce Criticism
Sheikh Waqas Akram is the spokesperson of the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led PTI. In a statement on Saturday, he said that PPP leader Bhutto is an “immature political child”.
Mr. Bilawal’s proposal was ill-advised. It was detrimental to Pakistan’s national security narrative. Such statements humiliate the country on international platforms, he said. “We fail to understand why Bilawal is so keen on appeasing India.”
“Bilawal has become a symbol of confusion and contradiction in Pakistan’s foreign policy discourse… PPP was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It was based on the legacy of Kashmir. But today, Bilawal is betraying that legacy. He does this by pursuing political gains at the expense of Kashmiri blood,” he said.
The former foreign minister, Akran said, was proving time and again. He lacked political wisdom. He also lacked vision and understanding of regional geopolitics.
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Talha Saeed lashes out over extradition remark
Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed said in a statement in Lahore on Sunday, “Bilawal Bhutto should not have talked about extradition of Pakistanis. His statement is against the state policy, national interest and sovereignty, and we strongly condemn it.”
“Bilawal Bhutto is either unaware of ground realities or promoting the enemy’s narrative,” he said and questioned, could a state representative talk about handing over citizens to an enemy country? Mr. Talha defended his father saying none of Saeed’s action is against Pakistan.
In a video on X, Talha Saeed declared the PPP chief “is not a true Muslim” and demanded an apology. “… how can he offer (up) my father like this?” Talha said in the video, as he called on “patriotic media” in Pakistan to “critically discuss” the statement by Bilawal Bhutto.
Instead of offering extradition of Pakistani citizens, Talha said in his video, the Pakistan government should be demanding the extradition of Indian leaders. He also questioned Bhutto’s credibility, alleging that his family has a history of towing the Western and Indian narrative against Pakistan.
Both Saeed and his son Talha are listed as global terrorists by the US treasury department.
Shortly after Talha’s video, Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, political offshoot of LeT/Jamaat-ud-Dawa, released a statement claiming India was involved in terrorism in Pakistan and the Indian State was the mastermind of vicious terror campaigns in Pakistan and around the world.
From the Indian POV
Bilawal Bhutto’s offer stands in sharp contrast to his own earlier posture. Just days after India put the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, a visibly rattled Bhutto issued a combative statement: “I want to tell India that the Indus is ours and will remain ours. Either water will flow in this Indus, or their blood will.” Bhutto’s statement appears to be a strategic move, deliberately ambiguous and easily retractable if no progress occurs.
“Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has no locus standing. He is not in the cabinet, he is not part of the armed forces. Yes, his father is the president of Pakistan (Asif Ali Zardari), and that’s about all. So, the Pakistani army uses people like Bilwal Bhutto to make comments which can then be retracted tomorrow,” Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) said. “If the Pakistani ministry of external affairs makes a point, then India’s MEA will make a counterpoint,” he added.
India is unlikely to be swayed by rhetoric alone after witnessing a long history of Pakistani duplicity tactics. The trust deficit between the two nations can not be bridged by statements and true action against terror has not been seen.
