Pakistan's Defense Minister Deletes Vicious Anti-Israel Post
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif sparked a diplomatic crisis with Israel after calling it a "curse for humanity." Forced to delete the posts amid pressure from PM Shehbaz Sharif, the incident now threatens the fragile US-Iran ceasefire talks being hosted in Islamabad.
A major diplomatic crisis erupted in the Pakistani capital on Friday as the government scrambled to perform damage control following a series of inflammatory social media posts by Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
The incident, which occurred just as Pakistan is positioning itself as a central mediator in historic US-Iran peace talks, has drawn a blistering response from Jerusalem and threatened to derail Islamabad’s newfound status as a regional peacemaker.
The Posts: ‘A Curse for Humanity’
In a series of now-deleted posts on X (formerly Twitter), Minister Asif launched a scathing attack on Israel, responding to ongoing military strikes in Lebanon. The Minister’s rhetoric went far beyond standard diplomatic criticism, including:
The Fallout: Internal Fury and Deletion
The posts sent shockwaves through the Pakistani government. Sources close to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told reporters that both the military and political leadership were "furious" at the timing of the remarks.
With US Vice President JD Vance and high-level Iranian officials currently in Islamabad for ceasefire negotiations, the Defense Minister’s outburst was viewed as a reckless breach of Pakistan’s neutrality. Under intense internal pressure, Asif was forced to delete the posts within hours.
Israel’s Response: ‘Can Pakistan Be Trusted?’
Jerusalem reacted with immediate and unfiltered condemnation. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a statement calling the remarks “outrageous” and a thinly veiled “call for Israel’s annihilation.”
Crucially, Israeli officials pointedly questioned Pakistan’s fitness to serve as a neutral broker. "One cannot claim to be a mediator of peace while simultaneously calling for the destruction of a sovereign state," a spokesperson for the PMO stated, adding that the comments were "entirely unacceptable."
The Stakes: Mediation in Jeopardy
While Pakistan has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel and a long history of pro-Palestinian advocacy, the current geopolitical moment is unique:
As of Friday afternoon, the Pakistani Foreign Office has yet to issue a formal apology, but insiders suggest the government is working behind the scenes to reassure the American delegation that Asif’s "off-script" comments do not reflect official state policy.