Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday was left embarrassed yet again after President Donald Trump skipped his name but mentioned Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in social media post, appealing several Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords and formally recognise Israel.
Trump mentioning Munir instead of Sharif has once again opened a debate on who really leads Pakistan, a country which is infamous for producing military dictators.ย
In his social media post, Trump said he spoke to leaders of several Muslim nations, urging them to accept the 2020 Abraham Accords. These countries were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Tรผrkiye, Egypt and Jordan once America’s war with Iran concludes. He said the joining the accords would provide a financial and economic boost to its members.
“During my discussions on Saturday with President Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of The United Arab Emirates, Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Minister Ali al-Thawadi, of Qatar, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, of Pakistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoฤan, of Tรผrkiye, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, of Egypt, King Abdullah II, of Jordan, and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, of Bahrain, I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” he said.
Pakistan’s dilemma over Abraham Accords
Now, Trump’s appeal has put Pakistan in a dilemma, as Islamabad has already stated that it would never accept it. The accords were proposed by Trump in 2020 to normalise the relationship between Israel and Arab nations. Its signatories include the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Sudan.ย
Back in 2020, under now-jailed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership, Pakistan had announced it would never join the accords. Cut to January 2026, under Sharif’s government, Pakistan reaffirmed it would never participate in it.ย ย
Experts also point out that accepting the Abraham Accords would only make Pakistan appear like a hypocrite, which has always pushed for a two-state solution for peace between Israel and Palestine. Accepting the accords will affect Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir as well.ย
Thus, Pakistan is in dilemma on whether it should accept the accords or not because in Trump’s second term, the bonhomie between Islamabad and Washington has increased a lot. In fact, Trump has also publicly praised Munir on many occasions, calling him even a “very great guy”.
Notably, Munir has increasingly played a central role in diplomatic efforts to resolve the US-Iran war. This, along with Trump’s mention of Munir in Abraham Accords post, has left one to wonder — who really leads Pakistan.
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