Bilawal clarifies terrorism remarks, says he chose wrong words

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Bilawal said his comments were specifically aimed at separatist organisations that had adopted

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has clarified his recent remarks on terrorism, saying he used the wrong choice of words while discussing separatist groups involved in violence.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Bilawal said his comments were specifically aimed at separatist organisations that had adopted violence and were involved in terrorist activities.

He maintained that militant networks operating in the region were being controlled from Afghanistan, while their facilitators were allegedly based in neighbouring countries. He also said extremist groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continued to carry out attacks and maintained coordination among themselves.

Bilawal’s clarification came a day after his earlier remarks triggered discussion over his characterisation of groups involved in violence and separatism. He stressed that his intention was to highlight the threat posed by organisations using terrorism as a means to pursue their objectives.

The PPP chairman said coordinated action was needed to address the growing security challenge and prevent militant networks from exploiting regional links to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.