Amid the conflict between the United States and Iran, US lawmakers have once again raised concerns regarding Pakistan’s role as a mediator. These fresh concerns come after remarks made by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran, went viral.
Taking to X, Senator Rick Scott flagged his concern about Islamabad’s role and stated that Washington “needs to remember who Pakistan really is in the middle of all this.”
“We’re talking about a country where bin Laden hid out for a decade, where they selectively enforce lopsided blasphemy laws to persecute Christians, and where the Prime Minister just praised the genocidal mass murdering tyrant that used to run Iran,” Scott wrote on social media, adding that Pakistan is “no better qualified to ‘mediate'” the conflict “than the Hamas-harboring Qataris.”
The Florida Senator’s remarks on X come after a video of PM Sharif praising the slain Iranian supreme leader went viral. In the video shared by Memri TV, Sharif referred to Khamenei as a “great scholar and leader.”
“He was a great scholar and leader who showed resilience, courage, patience and vision, and served Iran with utmost dedication and unwavering commitment. Millions of Muslims around the globe will remember him,” Sharif said in a video clip.
“Pakistan and Iran are two brotherly countries, and our hearts beat together. We will stand together, and we shall march together under all circumstances,” he added further.
Fox News commentator Mark Levin also hit out at Sharif after the video was shared by saying: “THIS CLOWN WAS ONE OF OUR MEDIATORS WITH IRAN! It seems unimaginable. Let’s get our act together, America.”
Not the first time
This is not the first time US lawmakers have raised their concerns regarding Pakistan’s role in mediating the war. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, also raised his concerns on social media and during a Congressional hearing.
“It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long standing. It is undeniable that Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases and past rhetoric from the highest Pakistani officials against Israel is disturbing,” Graham said in a post on X in May.
The Republican senator’s statement came after Pakistani defence minister Khwaja Asif stated that Islamabad will not join the Abraham Accords.
“As to the defense minister’s comments about the Abraham Accords, saying that Pakistan would never join because they don’t trust Israel: The clip may be a year old, but I fear the sentiment is fresh. In that regard, it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords,” Graham added further.
Furthermore, Rick Scott made a similar statement last month, stating that “Qatar and Pakistan have long histories of harbouring terrorists, and right now they seem far more invested in propping up Iran’s decades-long terror campaign than achieving a meaningful peace.”
