Islamabad, June 23, 2025 — Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief, appealed emotively in the National Assembly on Monday for the world and Pakistan to condemn Israel’s expanding military campaign against Iran. Citing the world’s repeated failure to rise to the defense of successive targets at the regional level, he warned that silence today could render tomorrow’s nations “with no one left to speak for us
A Warning by the National Assembly
While delivering a highly morally charged speech, Bilawal reiterated the famous verse of Pastor Martin Niemöller:
“They first came for the Palestinians, but the world was not protesting because they were not Palestinian. They came for the Lebanese… And for the Yemenis… And they came for Iran. If we won't stand for Iranians, nobody would be left for them when they come for us.”
He called on parliamentarians to break from diplomatic reserve and align with Iran, asserting that neutrality against oppression is complicity. His remark touched a nerve in Islamabad about the vulnerability of the Middle East and the investment Pakistan has in regionwide stability.
Backdrop of Escalation
The warning comes after a series of historic strikes: Israel was said to have carried out precision strikes on some Iranian military and nuclear facilities, in what was one of the most direct acts of aggression since the 1979 revolution. Washington came quickly on its heels, in air strikes on Tehran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities—establishments under IAEA protection—to “wipe out” Iran’s alleged nuclear agenda. Tehran vigorously protested having a clandestine weapons program, terming the air strikes a grave assault on international law and the IAEA charter.
Pundits warn that tit-for-tat retaliation has rocked world energy markets, propelled a rise in the price of oil, and highlighted the risk of a wider regional blaze. A direct conflict between two nations with nuclear weapons at their disposal has evoked urgent cries for restraint by capitals from Beijing to Moscow.
Pakistan’s Diplomatic Efforts
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was telephoned by Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif, who condemned the U.S. drone attacks on Iran as a violation of international law and stated Islamabad’s “unwavering solidarity” with Iran. He underlined Tehran’s right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and called for a speedy return to dialogue and diplomacy as “the only possible way forward.”
The premier again affirmed Pakistan’s readiness to facilitate constructive dialogue and was perturbed by civilian casualties. President Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for its cooperation, emphasizing the need for Muslim world unity at this crucial juncture.
At the United Nations Security Council
On Monday, Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, was one of those urging a Security Council resolution for a prompt and unconditional cease-fire. He claimed military actions unilaterally “only deepen conflicts and entrench divisions,” and warned further escalation could have devastating ramifications for the region and beyond.
The UN Secretary General António Guterres again echoed these concerns, calling the airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities a “dangerous turn” which could drag the world back into a cycle of retaliations. Iran’s ambassador accused the United States and Israel of abusing the nuclear non-proliferation regime to disguise aggression, while Israel’s representative argued that the strikes were a last resort against a supposed nuclear threat.
Regional and Global Significance
The standoff already made Iran’s parliament pass a bill to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial pipeline for a fifth of the world’s oil supply, stoking a protracted energy crisis. Gulf regimes are frantically re-shuffling alliances, and European capitals are demanding restraint and a fresh set of Iran nuclear programme negotiations.
In Pakistan, Bilawal’s vocal stand was greeted by controversy. There are parliamentarians who hail the sense of moral courage in championing international norms; others caution that only solidarity can be compatible with pragmatic diplomacy by virtue of Pakistan’s economic and security travails.
The Moral Imperative and the Path Forward
Bilawal’s basic message—“silence in the face of injustice endangers us all”—runs true to a broader appeal for collective action. He demanded a non-binding motion of parliament condemning all unprovced attacks, calling on Islamabad to launch diplomatic efforts through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations.
Students' unions, religious groups, and civil society groups are gradually mobilizing, calling for vigils and public forums to demand peaceful resolution of the conflict. Experts think that extended people-to-people contact, track-two diplomacy, and multilateral diplomacy would be essential for diffusing the crisis and avoiding a wider conflagration.