Pakistan’s ‘Neutral’ Role — and What the Media Isn’t Reporting
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif speaks during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Salahuddin
If an Israeli minister took to their X account to refer to any country as “cancerous” and “a curse for humanity,” while wishing its population to “burn in hell,” the condemnation would be swift and overwhelming.
Yet, as is so often the case, incidents involving Israelis attract disproportionate scrutiny, while comparable rhetoric elsewhere is met with silence.
So when Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, made precisely these remarks on his X account, the media response was conspicuously muted.
.@antonioguterres @volker_turk Why aren’t you condemning Pakistan’s defense minister for inciting eliminationist antisemitism, describing Israel as a cosmic enemy—as “evil,” a “curse,” and a “cancerous state”— while praying that the Jews who built Israel “burn in hell”? https://t.co/ek8NJugLKf pic.twitter.com/U3a41qKBlz
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 9, 2026
Asif may have since deleted the post, but this was no isolated incident. He also recently stated that Israel and India are Pakistan’s “true and eternal enemies.”
This latest outburst is a stark reminder: Pakistan is neither a neutral nor a credible partner in peace negotiations. When a sitting defense minister can issue such rhetoric without meaningful international pushback beyond predictable responses from Israeli officials and media, it raises serious questions about how the global press continues to portray Pakistan.
Far from being a neutral actor, Pakistan has a well-documented history of antisemitism, support for terrorism, and systemic human rights abuses.
Just this past January at the UN, Pakistan voted against condemning the Iranian regime’s massacre of its own civilians. As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Pakistan effectively undermined the rights of protesters while lending tacit legitimacy to Tehran’s brutality.
At the same time, Pakistan had no hesitation in sponsoring four anti-Israel resolutions.
L: Pakistan for Islamic states says they will sponsor 4 anti-Israel resolutions at upcoming U.N. Human Rights Council session.
R: In recent session on Iran, Pakistan voted AGAINST the resolution on the massacre of protesters in Iran—because it was “without the consent of Iran.” https://t.co/UCmohFIdzv pic.twitter.com/Ch1hmlHbqv
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) February 10, 2026
Pakistan’s own domestic record is equally troubling.
Facing little international condemnation, the country has committed grave atrocities, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Dissidents have been abducted, tortured, and killed with impunity.
Yet since 2015, Pakistan has voted against Israel in 185 resolutions at the UN General Assembly.
According to Freedom House, Pakistan scores just 32 out of 100, with military interference in governance and widespread intimidation of journalists severely undermining press freedom.
The country is also considered one of the most terrorism-impacted nations in the world. Having once harbored Osama bin Laden, Pakistan continues to host terrorist groups operating along its borders with India and Afghanistan, many reportedly aided or tolerated by the state.
During the June 2025 Israel-Iran war, Pakistan openly called for full “unity against Israel,” aligning itself with Tehran.
Pakistan’s hostility toward Israel is not limited to foreign policy. It is deeply embedded in its education system.
An August 2025 report by IMPACT-se found persistent antisemitic content in school curricula.
Jews are routinely depicted using negative stereotypes, while one civics textbook even praised Adolf Hitler for “restoring German pride,” omitting the horrors of the Holocaust.
Other materials portray Jews as inherently treacherous and disloyal.
In this context, Khawaja Asif’s comments are not an aberration. They are a reflection of a broader societal narrative.
Pakistan may now be positioning itself as a mediator between Iran and the United States, but its record tells a very different story.
By ignoring not only Asif’s antisemitic rhetoric but also Pakistan’s long-standing pattern of extremism and human rights abuses, the media obscures a fundamental truth:
Pakistan is not a neutral actor — and treating it as one undermines the credibility of international reporting.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.