Who is Palwasha Mohammad Zia Khan? Pak senator's comments on Ayodhya sparks row

Amid tensions between India and Pakistan, Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zia Khan of the neighbouring country, made controversial remarks.

Speaking in Pakistan's Upper House on April 29, she said, "The first brick of the new Babri mosque in Ayodhya will be laid by Pakistan Army soldiers, and the first azaan will be given by Army Chief Asim Munir himself."

Her comments invoke the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, and come as a broader tirade after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Khan is a member of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and is the deputy information secretary. She seemed to suggest that a path is being laid for a 'Muslim government, specifically a Pakistani Muslim government, in the Indian subcontinent."

Before being a senator, she served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan -- representing Pakistan's province Punjab. She was elected senator in March 2021.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made her deputy information secretary of PPP in November 2018, and currently she is serving a six-year term as a senator, which began in 2021.

Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan have revamped security structures in the government, with Pak making its ISI chief the NSA and India revamping the National Security Advisory Board and appointing ex-R&AW chief Alok Joshi as its chairman.

Pakistan has claimed to have credible intelligence that India will attack in 24-36 hours, but this was a statement made yesterday.

The neighbours continue violating the LoC ceasefire, and there was fresh firing today despite a warning yesterday from India to Pakistan.

As the situation continues to flare up, countries like the US have rushed in to try and control a fallout between two nuclear powers. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialled both External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, urging both sides to de-escalate.

Things between India and Pakistan have come to a head after the terror attack in J&K's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. India has blamed Pakistan while the latter has denied any involvement in the tragic incident.

(With agency inputs)