Islamabad has shifted its political and religious rhetoric toward Tehran, marking an unprecedented turn since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran .
The change was reflected in statements by Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir on Thursday, 19 March, during a closed-door meeting with Shia figures and scholars at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Munir's remarks went beyond warnings against pro-Iran demonstrations, explicitly threatening anyone showing sympathy for Tehran. He reportedly instructed that those sympathetic to Iran "should leave Pakistan and go to Iran". According to Shia clerics who relayed portions of the meeting, Munir also affirmed that the Pakistani army would stand with Saudi Arabia under the "Joint Strategic Defence Agreement" between Riyadh and Islamabad if the kingdom requested it.
The agreement was signed on 17 September 2025, in Riyadh, by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It stipulates that "any attack on either country constitutes an attack on both." This accord was announced a week after Israel's aggression in Doha . Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country.
During the US-Israeli war on Iran , bin Salman met the Pakistani prime minister in Jeddah on 12 March, who reiterated his country's "full support for Saudi Arabia."
Earlier, on 3 March, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a press conference in Islamabad that Pakistan had reminded Iran of its joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia, part of efforts to prevent further Iranian attacks on Saudi territory. "I informed the Iranian side of our joint defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. The Iranian side confirmed the need to ensure Saudi Arabia is not used against Iran ," he said.
The shift in Pakistan's rhetoric emerged after Munir reportedly met with Shia community leaders. While the army issued a routine statement after the meeting, the following day, Friday, 20 March, Shia clerics addressed the meeting in their mosque sermons. Among them were Nasser Abbas, Hasnain Kardizi, and Syed Jawad Naqvi. They described Munir's tone as extremely demeaning during his hour-long speech, noting that no one was allowed to speak before, during, or after him.
Munir's remarks contained explicit threats, warning Pakistanis against actions sympathetic to Iran , and reportedly ordered that anyone approaching military institutions during demonstrations would be shot directly. He also stated that those arrested over protests following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would face military courts rather than civilian courts.
Finally, he insisted that anyone sympathising with Iran "should leave Pakistan and go there".
Following revelations of Munir's comments, outrage spread among Pakistan's Shia community, reflected in Friday and Eid sermons. The new stance prompted demonstrations in several cities, including Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and Jhang in Punjab, emphasising that the statements were not spontaneous but directives from the Pakistani army and warnings that any anti-Iran steps in Pakistan could spark internal unrest.
Syed Ahmad Iqbal Rizvi, deputy head of the Muslim Unity Movement, an umbrella for Shia parties, said in a recorded statement, "We boldly respond to the army chief's remarks: we love our country, but this war is between right and wrong. We stand with the right, with Iran ."
"The army chief tells us to go to Iran if we sympathise with it. I say to him frankly: you should go to America, you should go to Israel because you sympathise with them. We have done nothing against our country, but you have destroyed it under Trump and America’s guidance," he added.
Syed Sajid Naqvi, leader of Pakistan's Shia community and head of the Pakistan Jaafari Tehreek party, urged decision-makers to rethink their policies. "I do not need to prove my love for Pakistan. Who decides who is Pakistani or not and who stays or leaves? No one has the right to tell us to leave our country," he said. Shift in rhetoric? The army chief's statements signal a deep shift in Pakistan's stance regarding Iran and its military establishment. This aligns with recent changes in rhetoric among army-affiliated journalists and clerics, moving from neutrality and mediation to harsher positions. The Revolutionary Guard is now portrayed as destabilising the region, with doubts cast on the historical ties between Tehran and Islamabad, extending to claims that regime change in Iran is necessary for regional security.
Mufti Abdul Rahim, head of Rashid University in Karachi and currently the military's religious reference, outlined Iran's "betrayal" of Pakistan in a Friday interview released on YouTube. He said Iran's hostility toward the US and Israel was never religious but politically and economically motivated, while its enmity with Saudi Arabia was sectarian. He stressed Pakistan's alliance with Saudi Arabia under the joint defence pact, urging careful consideration of Iran's past dealings with Pakistan before taking decisions at this sensitive stage.
Abdul Rahim also accused Iran of attempting to compromise Pakistan's nuclear programme and reveal sensitive information shared with Islamabad. He cited the 2004 arrest of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the "father of the nuclear bomb", despite his innocence regarding nuclear transfers to Iran. Islamabad, he claimed, sacrificed Khan, who suffered greatly under house arrest until 2009 and remained under strict security surveillance until he died in 2021. The aim was to protect Pakistan's reputation and show the international community that the sensitive nuclear transfers were Khan’s actions, not those of any official body.
Military-affiliated journalist and analyst Habib Akram said on 20 March on his YouTube channel that alliances are shifting rapidly. "Two days ago, only Israel opposed Iran alongside America , but things have changed. Now the world seems united against Iran," he said.
He cited meetings in Brussels for the European countries that expressed support for the US against Iran and a meeting of Islamic and Arab states in Riyadh last Wednesday, 18 March, attended by Pakistan and Turkey, which strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on Arab countries.
He described the Revolutionary Guard as a regional threat after closing the Strait of Hormuz and called for “regime change in Iran", comparing the situation to Afghanistan after 11 September 2001, when "the world was compelled to oppose the Taliban government and the regime was overthrown". Commenting on Shia clerics' post-meeting remarks that Pakistan would stand with Iran on religious grounds and their claim that the country's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was a Shia, journalist Javed Chaudhry said Jinnah established Pakistan to accommodate all citizens regardless of sect. He added that national decisions would reflect Pakistan’s interests, not sectarian affiliations, and that everyone must accept the decisions of state institutions. Sacrificing Iran is easier Pakistani political analyst Arshad Hussain told The New Arab that "Pakistan cannot openly oppose Iran," questioning "whether its people would accept standing with Israel and the US against Tehran ." He echoed Tehran's claim that it is targeting US bases in Gulf states, despite repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure and oil facilities that contradict this narrative.
"Islamabad informed some Gulf countries of Iran's request that they prevent Americans from using their territory against Iran, yet, unfortunately, it still happens," Hussain said.
"How can Pakistan now stand against Iran when it knows all this and has been relaying Iranian messages to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states ?" he added. Amir Hamza, another political analyst, told The New Arab that "Pakistan has attempted mediation to prevent escalation between Saudi Arabia and Iran or Iran and Gulf states generally, but the situation appears to be deteriorating."
He predicted that "Pakistan would support Saudi Arabia in any conflict against Iran and join coalitions opposing Iran as long as Saudi Arabia is involved."
"Our material interests with Saudi Arabia outweigh those with Iran. Iran also has strong ties with Pakistan's adversary: India. Sacrificing relations with Iran is easier than with Saudi Arabia; this has happened before, so it is unsurprising," Hamza further explained. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .