'Combat terror, eliminate Jaish': Bilawal Bhutto delegation gets a reality check in US

Pakistan’s bid to spread its false propaganda in Washington failed horribly after a US lawmaker called out the country’s support for a globally recognised terrorist organisation, Jaish-e-Mohammad. On Thursday, American Congressman Brad Sherman delivered stern advice to the Pakistani delegation led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that the country should “do all it can” to eliminate the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Sherman also told Bhutto’s team that Pakistan should ensure the protection of religious minorities in the country. Interestingly, the remarks from the US lawmaker came months after Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir made provocative remarks, expressing his support for the so-called “Two-Nation Theory,” days after which India witnessed the Pahalgam terror attack.

Sherman took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reveal that he emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combating terrorism and, in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The American lawmaker pointed out that it was the JeM that was behind the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

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For years, the people of #Sindh have faced political repression through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Since its founding in 2011, Pakistan’s own Human Rights Commission has documented over 8,000 cases of enforced disappearances, many of which have never been…

— Congressman Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) June 6, 2025

Sherman shares the plight of the Pearl family

In his post, the US lawmaker noted that he told the Pakistani delegation that it is important to combat terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and shared the plight of the Pearl family. “I emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002,” the Congressman said.

“Pearl’s family continues to live in my district, and Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region,” he added. Daniel was kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan in January 2002, while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani religious cleric Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi.

The Congressman from California also raised concerns about the lives of minorities in Pakistan. “Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system,” he said in the post.

During the meeting, Sherman also called for the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama bin Laden . “Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,” he said.

Dr Afridi is a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA run a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The campaign eventually helped in the collection of the DNA sample of the Bin Laden family. Afridi was eventually arrested by Pakistani authorities shortly after the American raid on Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad in May 2011. In 2012, a Pakistani court eventually sentenced him to 33 years in prison.