EDITORIAL: Disinformation campaigns are a well-established tool used by various state and non-state actors to manipulate perceptions regarding sensitive political/security issues.
The idea that Pakistan would threaten Israel with nuclear weapons in the midst of an ongoing military conflict between the two countries is absolutely absurd.
Yet two AI-generated reports claimed that Pakistan had threatened a nuclear response against Israel, generating a wave of disinformation on social media, which would have remained ignored but for the fact that a mainstream British tabloid Daily Mail also chose to publish it, putting at stake Islamabad’s nuclear credibility as well as relations with other states in the Gulf region.
The devious disinformation scheme therefore was immediately debunked by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Monday’s session of the Senate. “Pakistan”, he said, “is a responsible nuclear state, and our nuclear and missile programme is solely for national defence and security purposes. Pakistan has not issued any statement regarding a nuclear strike on Israel.” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also took to X to reaffirm the same stance.
Like most other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has extended moral and diplomatic support to Iran against Israeli aggression. It has been extra-cautious in position taking, nevertheless, in certain situations at a time of heightened tensions.
For instance, when on June 12 IAEA’s board of governors voted on a resolution, submitted by the US, Britain, France and Germany declaring Iran in breach of its nuclear obligations, 19 countries voted in favour, three — Russia, China and Burkina Faso — against the resolution, while Pakistan elected to abstain along with ten other states, raising many eyebrows back at home as to why could it not stand by the side of its strategic ally, China.
The answer is obvious from the present campaign to raise concerns about Pakistan’s own nuclear programme. As a matter of fact, some sections of the Western media have often portrayed the relationship between the two nations in an exaggerated and misleading light. By framing Pakistan as an enabler of Iran’s nuclear programme they try and create a narrative that could justify sanctions or even military action.
It is worth noting that Pakistan and Iran, the two brotherly neighbours, share a history of both cooperation and mistrust. In the present context, the reports and claims circulating in social media used anonymous sources or unverified information to fuel a false narrative.
Coming in the aftermath of the recent Pak-India military standoff, the accusation seems to be aimed at creating fear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability in the wider world. That made it necessary for Ishaq Dar to dispel the disinformation surrounding Pakistan’s nuclear stance.
Islamabad’s nuclear policy is designed to maintain a balance of power with its much bigger traditional rival. Our nuclear deterrence is, and has always been, focused on the security threat posed by India; it has nothing to do with Israel or any other country. Hence claims to the contrary should be carefully scrutinised by responsible media organisations and other interested parties, paying attention to geopolitical games at play in the Middle East and South Asia.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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