Pakistan was delighted when its Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was “invited” by the United States to attend its Military Day. Pakistanis were under the impression that their diplomacy had finally started working and that they would soon have good relations with the United States, as there had not been any warmth in the past few years.
Pakistani media celebrates Munir’s US visit
Well, we will talk later about whether Munir was “invited” or not, but what happened was that the Pakistanis and their media—who were elated and observed the move as a win-win situation over India, which, according to them, hadn’t even received an invitation despite claims of strong bilateral relations—are now suddenly seeing it as a big fiasco.
The Pakistani media was highlighting how Munir was going to attend as a guest during the 250th-anniversary celebrations of the US Armed Forces on June 14. Finally, Asim Munir arrived in Washington.
Israeli strikes on Iran put Pakistan in diplomatic dilemma
Amid all this, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on June 13, which drained all enthusiasm in Pakistan and pushed its leadership and media into gloom. Pakistan has always backed Iran, and the Israeli fighter jets not only targeted nuclear facilities but also killed the nation’s top commanders and leading scientists.
The Israeli attack left Pakistan in a Catch-22 situation, as Munir was in Washington to witness the US Military Parade, while its neighbour and “brotherly nation” was under attack—an attack reportedly backed by the United States, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking the US President for his support during his address.
Doubt over Munir’s invitation sparks backlash
The entire event turned into a backlash for Pakistan. Now, its media is analyzing the sequence of events, which would certainly raise apprehension in Iran’s mind: that while its country was under attack, the Army Chief of a so-called “brotherly nation” was attending a US Military Parade as Trump’s guest.
Pakistan has understood that the event did not go down well and would not offer it any strategic edge.
On the other hand, several media reports suggested that Syed Asim Munir was not invited and the news was false. The Hindu quoted a White House official who said the claim was false and no foreign military leaders were invited to the parade. Well, it remains to be seen—if he was not invited to the event, then what was the purpose of his visit, and what will Pakistan gain from it?
Pakistan faces tightrope walk between Iran and US
Pakistan will have to find a way to strike a balancing act—where it can save face before Iran, while also ensuring that its steps do not draw the ire of the United States, which is keen to boost trade with the nation as Trump “promised” during Operation Sindoor. Senior analysts have also expressed apprehensions that Israel may target Pakistan in the near future.
Television channels and social media in Pakistan have questioned the political leadership amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. A few pointed out that Iran was the first nation to come forward between India and Pakistan during times of tension, such as after the Pahalgam terror attack.
At a critical juncture, Pakistan looks to leadership
Undoubtedly, it is a critical moment for Pakistan. However, Pakistani citizens and media can only hope for maturity from a leadership that has often lacked it in foreign policy and approach. What they did in the past was try to emulate India’s foreign policy post-ceasefire—by sending delegations to foreign countries, just as India did.
