‘Worst criminal of humanity’: Pak Defence Minister wants US to ‘kidnap’ Netanyahu
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has sparked controversy by saying that the United States should “kidnap” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if it truly believes in humanity, drawing a parallel with the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces.
Speaking during a televised interview on Thursday, Asif went further to suggest that Turkey could also abduct Netanyahu, adding that “Pakistanis are praying for it.”
He described the Israeli leader as the “worst criminal of humanity” and accused Israel of committing unprecedented atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.
“No community has done what Israel has done to Palestinians in the last 4,000–5,000 years,” Asif said. “He [Netanyahu] is the biggest criminal of humanity. The world has not seen a bigger criminal.”
Asif also appeared to hint at accountability for countries backing Israel, beginning a remark with, “And what does the law say about those who support such criminals…”.
At that point, senior journalist and anchor Hamid Mir interrupted the interview to announce a commercial break, cautioning that the comments could be interpreted as a veiled reference to US President Donald Trump.
Mir later said that Asif would not continue on the programme after the break.
Pakistan has never recognised Israel and officially positions its foreign policy as aligned with Iran on the basis of fraternity and shared regional interests.
Meanwhile, Israel has firmly rejected any role for Pakistan in post-war arrangements for Gaza.
In an interview with NDTV, Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said Israel was not comfortable with the Pakistan Army being part of any force in Gaza, citing serious concerns over alleged links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The Israeli envoy dismissed proposals involving Pakistani military participation in a potential International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza under President Trump’s Gaza plan.
When asked directly whether Israel would accept a Pakistani role in Gaza, Azar replied “no”, underscoring Israel’s opposition to any involvement by the Pakistan Army in the region.
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