FO denies Bilawal Bhutto’s New York arrest

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch called allegations of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s arrest in New York a “lie” and “untrue.”

In response to a question during her weekly press briefing, the spokesman dismissed the story as false and expressed surprise at the inquiry from a “serious” reporter.

Following social media reports alleging that Bilawal Bhutto had been jailed in New York during his tour, she was requested to react.

The foreign minister is on an official visit that the Foreign Office has described as “extremely beneficial” and “another significant step towards further improving Pakistan’s wide-ranging bilateral ties” with the United States.

The primary purpose of FM Bilawal Bhutto’s visit, according to the spokesperson, was to attend the Ministerial Conference of the G-77 and China at the UN Headquarters in New York and to hold consultations for the “International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan” to be held in Geneva the following month.

On 15 and 16 December 2022, the foreign minister presided over a ministerial session organized by Pakistan in its position as Chair of the G-77, the largest bloc of developing countries inside the UN system.

She stated, “The foreign minister emphasized the importance of a global system for the sustainable management of the sovereign debt of developing countries and the reduction of their borrowing costs.”

The meeting adopted a clear conclusion document outlining the group’s approach to addressing common obstacles to attaining the SDGs in the face of current problems and bolstering resilience to face future crises.