Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has invoked India while commenting on the ongoing West Asia conflict, warning that a regime change in Iran could potentially align Tehran, New Delhi and Afghanistan against Pakistan.
In a lengthy post on social media platform X on Tuesday, Asif alleged that the war on Iran was driven by a 'Zionist' agenda aimed at extending Israel’s influence up to Pakistan’s borders.
“Despite Iran's readiness for agreement, a war has been imposed upon them, and its agenda, orchestrated by the Zionists, includes bringing Israel's influence right up to Pakistan's border,” Asif said in the post, as quoted by Geo News.
Asif suggested that a regime change in Iran could create a strategic alignment among Pakistan’s neighbouring countries against Islamabad.
“The joint single point agenda of Afghanistan, Iran, and India will then be enmity towards Pakistan, making our borders insecure, surrounding us with enemies from all sides, and turning Pakistan into a vassal state,” he said in the post.
Pakistan has long accused India of using the Taliban as a proxy, a claim New Delhi denies. Asif’s remarks referenced that allegation while suggesting that a change in Iran’s political leadership could lead to a similar alignment among Pakistan’s neighbours.
The defence minister also called on Pakistan’s population to recognise what he described as a conspiracy against the country.
“It is necessary for all 250 million Pakistanis, regardless of their political or religious affiliations, to understand this conspiracy and the intentions of our eternal enemies,” he added, according to Geo News.
Calls for Muslim unity and reference to Pakistan’s nuclear capability
In the same statement, Asif reaffirmed Pakistan’s status as a nuclear-armed country and argued that the country’s strategic capability provided protection against external threats.
He also acknowledged the role of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in overseeing the country’s 1998 nuclear tests that formally declared Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability.
Asif expressed support for Palestine and called for unity among Muslim-majority countries.
“May Palestine be free,” he said, while urging Muslim nations to recognise shared challenges and act collectively.
Remarks come amid wider Iran conflict
Asif’s remarks come against the backdrop of an escalating military confrontation involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.
The conflict began with US and Israeli strikes targeting Iranian military and clerical leadership. The attacks killed several senior figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports referenced in the provided material.
Iran subsequently launched drones and missiles targeting multiple countries across the Gulf region, including Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The exchange of attacks has significantly escalated tensions across West Asia and drawn reactions from governments across the region.
Parallel tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan
The comments also come as Pakistan faces rising tensions with Afghanistan.
The latest confrontation between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government began last week after Taliban authorities said they carried out retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations following Pakistan’s targeting of militants inside Afghanistan.
Over the past week, Pakistan has launched air-to-ground missile strikes against Taliban military sites and has directly targeted Taliban government facilities, accusing the administration in Kabul of harbouring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 42 civilians were killed and 104 wounded in Afghanistan between February 26 and March 2 amid the clashes.
The developments mark one of the sharpest escalations in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years.
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