Defence Minister Warns Iran Conflict Could Create Hostile Taliban-India-Israel Alignment Encircling Pakistan

Asif Fears proposed regional realignment to risk reducing Pakistan to a ‘Vassal State’

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has warned that the conflict involving Iran could have wider regional consequences for Pakistan, saying that the war is being driven by a Zionist agenda aimed at expanding Israeli influence towards Pakistan’s borders.

"Zionism is a threat to humanity. From the establishment of Israel on the land of Palestine until today, every catastrophe that has befallen the Islamic world, every war imposed upon it, will show the direct or indirect hand of Zionist ideology and the state," he writes in a post on X.

He said that such a development could create a hostile alignment involving Afghanistan, Iran and India, leaving Pakistan surrounded by adversaries and placing its security under threat.

Asif added that Pakistanis of all political and religious backgrounds needed to recognise what he described as a wider conspiracy against the country. He argued that the proposed regional realignment would make Pakistan’s borders insecure and risk reducing the country to a “vassal state”. His remarks came as he linked the current conflict to long-standing regional tensions, framing it as part of a broader struggle involving Pakistan’s sovereignty and strategic position.

The minister also praised Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent and armed forces, paying tribute to the country’s martyrs and veterans, while commending former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for authorising the nuclear tests that declared Pakistan a nuclear power. He ended his message with prayers for unity in the Islamic world, support for Palestine, and continued strength and security for Pakistan.

"May Palestine be free. May our homeland remain strong and safe until the Day of Judgment."