Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari emphasised the need to strengthen public ties between Pakistan and the United States, asserting that religion is a unifying rather than a divisive force.
Speaking to the media after attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Bilawal described the event as an excellent opportunity for interfaith harmony.
He noted the presence of US President Donald Trump, who delivered a speech, and highlighted that people from across the world gathered at the event.Play Video
Bilawal himself addressed the closing ceremony, where he underscored the power of faith to bring people together.
Reflecting on his own faith journey at the ceremony, Bilawal said: “Everybody has their own faith journey, and for me, and for many people, faith has to do with loss. The more you lose, the stronger your faith.”
He spoke about the tragedies his family endured, including the assassination of his grandfather, former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and the deaths of his uncles, Shahnawaz and Mir Murtaza Bhutto.
He also recalled the tragic assassination of his mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, in 2007, just weeks before she was scheduled to address the National Prayer Breakfast in 2008.
Bilawal further highlighted the role of religion in fostering unity rather than division, saying: “One thing I want to say to you here today as a man of faith, as a politician, is that religion is often used to divide us.
“But the great thing about faith, about God, about the Almighty, about religion, is that it’s not a force that divides us—it is a force that unites us, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.”
He also spoke about the universal message of Jesus and how his teachings are integral to both Christianity and Islam.
“Jesus doesn’t just belong to the Christians. I learned about Jesus from my mother, who taught me about Jesus as he is in the Holy Quran and in Muslim teachings. Every single Muslim, no matter what you’re told, believes in Jesus,” he said.
