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Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has linked the ongoing Iran–Israel conflict to what he described as a broader regional design that could ultimately target Pakistan-with India at its centre. In remarks quoted by Geo News, Asif suggested that developments stemming from the war may create new alignments unfavourable to Islamabad. His comments reflect a familiar narrative within Pakistan’s political discourse, where regional instability is often framed through the prism of rivalry with India.

India At The Centre

Asif claimed that Afghanistan, Iran and India could converge around what he described as a “single-point agenda” of hostility towards Pakistan. According to him, such an alignment would leave Pakistan strategically vulnerable and surrounded by adversaries on multiple fronts.

By invoking India in the context of the Iran-Israel war, the defence minister placed New Delhi at the heart of what he portrayed as a wider geopolitical design reshaping the region.

A Familiar Narrative

Pakistan’s establishment has frequently linked regional tensions-particularly developments near the Durand Line or in Afghanistan-to India’s influence. Asif’s remarks follow that pattern, framing the Iran-Israel conflict not merely as a Middle Eastern confrontation but as part of a strategic environment that could impact Pakistan’s borders and internal security.

He called on Pakistan’s 250 million citizens to recognise what he described as the intentions of the country’s “eternal enemies”, urging unity in the face of perceived external pressure.

The comments underline how the Iran-Israel war is being interpreted in Islamabad-less as a distant conflict and more as a development viewed through the lens of India-Pakistan rivalry.