Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly rejected what he called “irresponsible” and “fabricated” fake news circulating on social media, which falsely attributed to a senior Iranian general a claim that Pakistan would launch a nuclear strike on Israel in retaliation for any attack on Iran.
Speaking in the Senate on Monday, Dar condemned the spread of false information in the wake of rising regional tensions and urged restraint amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“Pakistan has made no such statement. This is an extremely irresponsible and fabricated claim,” he said. He warned that “war is no joke” and reaffirmed that the country’s nuclear and missile programmes are purely for self-defence.
“ایرانی جنرل کو کوٹ کر کے کہا ہے کے اگر اسرائیل نے ہمارے اوپر پر حملہ کیا تو پاکستان اسرائیل پر نیوکلیئر حملہ کر دے گا یہ جھوٹی خبر ہے” ۔۔۔ ڈپٹی وزیراعظم اسحاق ڈار pic.twitter.com/5OPHxDTPwJ
— Faisal Abbasi (@Faisalabassi) June 16, 2025
“Our nuclear and missile programme is for our own protection,” he told lawmakers. “We stated back in 1998 that our nuclear weapons are for defence and regional peace. We haven’t signed the NPT because maintaining credible deterrence is necessary for our security.”
DPM also criticised the circulation of fake news on social media, citing an artificial intelligence-generated video falsely attributed to US President Donald Trump and disinformation regarding Pakistan’s nuclear posture.
“There was a video clip about Trump that later turned out to be AI-generated,” he said. “Since June 13, many fake stories have surfaced. Netanyahu’s interview being circulated is from 2011. This is not child’s play — this is a serious war. We must act with caution.”
He also clarified that Pakistan had played a constructive diplomatic role. “We engaged during the UN Security Council session. Iran appreciated Pakistan’s role,” Dar said. “Foreign ministers of Oman and Iran kept me informed. Iran’s foreign minister stayed in constant touch during talks,” he added.
Dar revealed that Iran was open to negotiations if Israel refrained from further attacks. “After the first attack, I spoke to Iran’s foreign minister. He said they would respond but were ready for talks if Israel did not retaliate again. We communicated this willingness to other states. There’s still time to stop Israel — Iran is ready.”
