Tel Aviv, August 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News) Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s recent remarks about Israel have drawn strong criticism, with a report in The Times of Israel describing them as “incendiary, genocidal and reckless” and calling on responsible Muslim governments and leaders to publicly distance themselves from his comments.
Asif had described Israel as an illegitimate state and a threat to the Muslim world while calling for Muslim countries to form a “united military front” against it.
His remarks came a day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. Turkey’s Foreign Minister had reportedly compared the collective defence arrangement with Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
The Times of Israel report argued that Asif’s comments were particularly concerning because he is the defence minister of a nuclear-armed country. It said his remarks went beyond criticism of Israeli policies or the Gaza war and instead challenged Israel’s legitimacy as a state while calling for military action based on religious affiliation.
The report noted that Israel is home to nearly half of the world’s Jewish population and argued that any military campaign aimed at destroying the country would inevitably put millions of Jews at risk.
It further said Asif had not called for negotiations, territorial compromise, coexistence or a two-state solution, but instead portrayed Jewish sovereignty as illegitimate and urged Muslim countries to confront Israel militarily.
The report called on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to clarify their positions, particularly given their new collective defence agreement with Pakistan.
“They cannot sign a collective-defence agreement with a nuclear-armed state and then treat its Defence Minister’s call for a military front against Israel as incidental rhetoric,” it said.
It also urged Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to clarify whether Asif’s remarks represented the government’s official position. If they did not, the report argued, Asif should be removed from office; if they did, it said the international community should reassess its engagement with Pakistan.
The report also called on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to make clear that their new agreement could not be used to support aggression against Israel. It particularly raised questions about Turkey’s position as a NATO member and sought clarification over whether the alliance’s member had entered an arrangement that another signatory could seek to use against Israel.
The report urged the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, United Nations Secretary-General and other governments opposed to genocidal rhetoric to condemn Asif’s comments.
FOLLOW NOW
