Washington. American lawmakers have once again raised questions about Pakistan’s role as mediator amid the ongoing tension between America and Iran. US Senator Rick Scott expressed concern over Pakistan’s role and said that America should remember what Pakistan really is in this whole matter. Senator Rick Scott, in a post on social media platform X, said that Washington should take into account the background of Pakistan. He wrote, ‘Amidst this whole issue, we have to remember who Pakistan really is.’
Taking aim at Pakistan, Scott said, ‘This is the same country where Osama bin Laden hid for almost a decade. Where blasphemy laws are implemented selectively, unilaterally, to target Christians. And where the Prime Minister recently praised the genocidal dictator who rules Iran. Pakistan is as capable of mediating the conflict as Qatar, which harbors Hamas.
This reaction of Rick Scott comes after the statement of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in which he praised Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This video of Shahbaz Sharif went viral rapidly on social media. In a video shared by Memri TV, the Pakistani Prime Minister described Khamenei as a ‘great scholar and leader’. Shahbaz Sharif had said, ‘He was a great scholar and leader who showed patience, courage, determination and foresight. He served Iran with complete devotion and unwavering commitment. Millions of Muslims around the world will remember him. Pakistan and Iran are two brotherly countries and our hearts beat together. We will stand by each other in every situation and move forward together.
American TV commentator Mark Levin also reacted to this statement of Shahbaz Sharif. While sharing the video he said, ‘This person was our mediator with Iran! This seems beyond imagination. America will have to correct its positioning. This is not the first time that US lawmakers have raised questions on Pakistan’s mediatory role. Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham, considered close to President Donald Trump, had also expressed concern about Pakistan’s role.
“It has been clear to me for a long time that Pakistan being a mediator is extremely problematic,” Graham said in social media posts and during a US Congressional hearing in May. His resentment towards Israel has been going on for a long time. It also cannot be denied that Iranian military aircraft are being kept at Pakistani airports and the past statements of Pakistan’s top leaders against Israel are worrying. Khawaja Asif’s statement regarding Abraham Accords that Pakistan will never participate in it because it does not trust Israel is a matter of concern. This video may be a year old, but I’m afraid this sentiment still holds true. In such a situation, it is necessary that Pakistan responds to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords.
Rick Scott made a similar statement last month. He had said that ‘Qatar and Pakistan have a long history of harboring terrorists and at this time they appear to be more interested in supporting Iran’s decades-old terrorist campaign than in establishing meaningful peace.’ After these comments of American lawmakers, the debate has intensified in Washington regarding Pakistan’s possible mediating role in the Iran-US conflict.
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