Pakistan’s former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced a moment of utter humiliation on live television when she was caught red-handed defending a US-designated global terrorist. As the Al Jazeera anchor hit her with irrefutable facts, her defence crumbled, her voice wavered, and her face turned pale. Khar’s desperate attempt to portray Hafiz Abdur Rauf a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and a man on the United States’ “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” list as a mere “common man” blew up spectacularly on screen. The clip has gone viral across social media, showcasing yet another instance of Pakistan’s shameless global propaganda to whitewash its terror nexus.
ID Number Exposes the Lie: Direct Match with US Terror List
Pakistan’s ISPR Director General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in a press briefing post Operation Sindoor, claimed that the man at the funeral was a preacher and a member of a political party, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). He even disclosed his full details: name, address, date of birth (March 25, 1973), and his Computerised National Identity Card number –35202-5400413-9.
These details, however, matched word-for-word with the US sanctions database. Hafiz Abdur Rauf, identified as a senior LeT leader since 1999 and head of its charitable front Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, has been sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). His multiple addresses in Lahore, Pakistani passports, and National ID are all publicly listed and match the Pakistani Army’s description.
This embarrassing gaffe proves yet again that Pakistan’s top leadership is caught between its dual roles: attempting to maintain a façade of cooperation in the war on terror while simultaneously protecting its most valuable jihadist assets.
Pakistan’s Habitual Shielding of Global Terrorists
Pakistan has long been accused of harbouring and shielding terrorists, and the recent embarrassment faced by Hina Rabbani Khar only further cements that image. In the now widely watched interview, Khar repeatedly insisted that Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who was seen leading the funeral prayers of terrorists killed in India’s May 7 “Operation Sindoor,” was just one of the many Abdul Raufs in Pakistan. She attempted to downplay the significance of the viral image showing Rauf at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Mudrike, Punjab.
However, her narrative fell apart when the interviewer interrupted and dropped the facts: the Pakistan Army itself, during a press conference, released the national ID number of the man in question, and it exactly matched the identity of Hafiz Abdur Rauf on the US Treasury Department’s terror sanctions list.
Khar’s History of Anti-India Rhetoric and Fake Narratives
This isn’t the first time Hina Rabbani Khar has found herself knee-deep in controversy. Known for her elite designer handbags and veiled jibes at India, Khar has a history of spilling venom against New Delhi. From justifying Pakistan’s silence on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to indirectly shielding Hafiz Saeed in interviews, she has frequently danced around hard questions about Pakistan’s terror infrastructure.
Earlier, during her stint as Foreign Minister, she embarrassed herself by floating conspiracy theories about India attempting to “destabilise” Pakistan through proxies in Balochistan a claim that was never substantiated and was widely ridiculed. On numerous occasions, Indian officials have called out her hypocrisy and attempts to play victim, even as Pakistan shelters fugitives wanted by Interpol and the United Nations.
Pak Defence Minister’s Damning Admission: Pakistan A Pawn for the West
Even more damning is the statement from Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who admitted in a parliamentary session that Pakistan had been “doing the dirty work” for America and the West by supporting terror operations. Asif’s candid confession exposed the double game that Pakistan has played for decades: receiving aid as a counter-terror ally while nurturing terror groups as assets.
His statement, now part of public record, further undermines Khar’s weak defence and the Pakistani military’s whitewashing attempts. The country’s deep state continues to oscillate between denial and damage control every time one of its terror pawns is exposed internationally.
The World Knows, But Pakistan Still Pretends
The latest controversy involving Hina Rabbani Khar has once again exposed Pakistan’s duplicitous behaviour on terrorism. Even when the evidence is open and damning, its leadership continues to shield globally sanctioned terrorists. Khar’s meltdown on live TV has become symbolic of Pakistan’s diminishing credibility on the global stage.
It’s high time the international community stops giving Pakistan a free pass. India has long maintained that Pakistan is the epicentre of global terrorism. With every fresh gaffe and exposed lie, that assessment only gets further validated.
As for Khar, no amount of lipstick diplomacy can now hide the blood-soaked reality that she and her government continue to protect.
