The recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory have unsettled Pakistan, which shares a 900-km border with Iran. On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that a “Zionist plan” was behind the conflict, warning that it could ultimately be aimed at weakening Pakistan and turning it into a “vassal state”.
He claimed that an Israeli victory in the ongoing confrontation could pave the way for a coordinated front involving Afghanistan, India and Iran against Pakistan.
Pakistan is already grappling with tense ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan and has had recent military flare-ups with India. Iran’s border runs along Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, long troubled by insurgency.
In a post on X, Asif alleged that Zionism — the movement for establishing and protecting a Jewish homeland — had played a “direct or indirect” role in conflicts affecting the Islamic world since the creation of Israel in 1948. He further claimed that major global powers were “held hostage” by Zionist influence and that global economic decisions had long been shaped by it.
Referring to the current hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States, Asif said the war had been “imposed” on Tehran despite its willingness to negotiate. He alleged the conflict was orchestrated to extend Israel’s strategic reach closer to Pakistan’s borders.
The Defence Minister warned that if Israel emerged stronger from the confrontation, India, Afghanistan and Iran could adopt a “joint single-point agenda” against Pakistan, leaving it “surrounded by enemies on all sides.”
Calling on Pakistan’s 250 million citizens to remain vigilant, Asif urged unity beyond political and sectarian divisions, saying the country must recognise what he described as a broader conspiracy.
Call for Muslim unity
Asif also reiterated Pakistan’s status as a nuclear power, asserting that its strategic capability serves as a deterrent. He acknowledged former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for overseeing the country’s 1998 nuclear tests, which formally declared Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability.
Expressing solidarity with Palestine, Asif said, “May Palestine be free,” and called for greater unity among Muslim-majority nations in the face of shared challenges.
His remarks come amid an intense military confrontation between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. The conflict escalated after US and Israeli strikes targeted key Iranian military and clerical figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory drone and missile attacks by Tehran across parts of the region.
Asif’s comments reflect Islamabad’s long-standing security narrative of encirclement. Pakistan has frequently portrayed India as its principal adversary and, in recent years, has accused both Baloch insurgents and elements within Afghanistan of acting as external proxies. Critics argue that such claims often overlook Pakistan’s own complex regional policies.