Fantasy vs. Strategy

As with the four-day war between India and Pakistan, misinformation is once again dominating the online narrative in the wake of the conflict between Iran and Israel. And, once again, much of this disinformation appears to originate from the same source: India. Alarmingly, it is aimed at the same target - Pakistan. The goal seems to be to fabricate a false equivalence between Iran and Pakistan, presenting the two as military allies in an attempt to portray Pakistan as an extension of Iran's security apparatus. The intended outcome is clear: to influence Western and Israeli thinking into viewing Pakistan as a legitimate target alongside Iran.

While such narratives may find traction among unsuspecting users on social media, the distinction is clear to policymakers in Pakistan and around the world. Pakistan is a sovereign state, and its nuclear weapons exist solely to deter threats to its own security. Although Pakistan maintains cordial and neighbourly ties with Iran, there is no mutual defence pact obligating Pakistan to enter any conflict on Iran's behalf.

This strategy of seeding confusion through fake news - familiar from earlier conflicts - reveals the depth of irresponsibility and immorality within the Indian misinformation machinery. That said, Pakistan's policymakers are fully aware that the destabilisation or collapse of Iran would have serious consequences for Pakistan's own security. A stable, prosperous, and diplomatically engaged Iran is in Pakistan's strategic interest - especially in terms of cooperation over Afghanistan, regional trade, and integration across the broader Khorasan region.

Pakistan's opposition to Israel's aggression is longstanding and consistent, and it continues to support Iran diplomatically and strategically - on its own terms and within its own national framework. That support must continue. At the same time, Pakistan must remain firm in rejecting fantastical claims that suggest its nuclear weapons are aligned with Iran's military goals. Such baseless insinuations are not only dangerous but risk igniting broader regional instability in a conflict that already threatens to engulf the Middle East.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).