A video clip of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interview has recently gone viral on social media. In this clip, he can be heard saying that one of Israel’s priorities is to prevent extremist Islamic governments from acquiring nuclear weapons, or to ensure that nuclear weapons do not fall into the hands of such regimes for the sake of Israel’s security. While explaining this, Netanyahu gives the example of Iran and Pakistan. Netanyahu made this statement in response to the question: “What is the greatest threat facing Israel’s future generations?” Netanyahu statement clearly indicates that he views Pakistan as an extremist Islamic state that could become a threat to Israel due to its nuclear weapons capability. Following this interview, a debate has emerged about whether Pakistan could become Israel’s next target after Iran. Netanyahu has often stated in his speeches that Israel’s security policy aims to stop groups or governments that it considers extremist jihadist Islamic regimes, and that Israel reserves the right to use defensive force against such countries.
At the same time, an article title “Israel’s Next Target: Pakistan” by Julian Spencer-Churchill, a professor of int’l relations at Concordia University in Canada, has become viral. In this article, he presents the analysis that after Iran, Pakistan could become Israel’s potential future target. According to Professor Churchill, this is not merely speculation but something that exists in documented form: that the United States, Israel, and India are jointly formulating a strategy to eliminate Pakistan’s nuclear program. Churchill states that Pakistan possesses approximately 170 nuclear weapons, while Israel an undeclared nuclear state has around 90 nuclear weapons. However, the Int’l Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has never seriously inspected Israel’s nuclear arsenal, whereas sanctions and potential attacks begin merely on suspicions that Iran might be developing nuclear weapons.
In his article, Churchill also claims that Donald Trump, who appears friendly toward Pakistan, is only putting on a show. He argues that when India attacked Pakistan in May last year and Pakistan emerged victorious, Israel and United States realized that India alone could not confront Pakistan and would require their support in the future. Churchill further suggests that attempts are being made to keep Russia occupied with the Russia-Ukraine War and China with tensions over Taiwan, so that these countries would be unable to assist Pakistan.
There appears to be considerable similarity between Netanyahu’s statement and Professor Churchill’s article. Both indicate that Israel views Pakistan’s nuclear weapons not merely as Pakistan’s arsenal but as an “Islamic nuclear weapon.” Additionally, Pakistan’s recent defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia, which includes providing a nuclear umbrella against Israel, has increased Israeli concerns. For this reason, after targeting Iran’s nuclear program, the possibility that Pakistan could become the next target cannot be ruled out. Pakistan’s nuclear program has been under int’l scrutiny since its inception. India and Israel seeks to eliminate Pakistan nuclear program, and having blessing of United States. Israel does not want any Islamic country to possess nuclear weapons. Therefore, these countries plan to weaken Pakistan economically, block financial assistance through IMF, and create a justification for attacking Pakistan by claiming that nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of extremists.
The statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the article by Professor Churchill suggest that these are not merely rumors. It is not impossible that after Iran, India and Israel could view Pakistan as their next target. In this context, the spokesperson of the Pakistan Army, Lt Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, recently stated in an interview that Pakistan is a responsible and declared nuclear power. Starting a war against a stable nuclear state would be extremely dangerous and unwise, and its consequences would not be limited to just two countries but could be catastrophic for the entire world. Thus, Pakistan has clearly conveyed that if it is pushed to the wall, it will not allow the rest of the world to remain at peace. If anyone attempts to eliminate Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, Pakistan will not remain silent, and its nuclear weapons could reach Tel Aviv within seven minutes. Pakistan is neither Iran, Iraq, nor Lebanon, but a sovereign state with nuclear capability. Its nuclear program exists to ensure national security. If any country casts an evil eye on Pakistan and its survival is threatened, the enemy country could also be wiped off from the face of the earth.
