The Pakistani media—usually the first to shout from the rooftops about Donald Trump’s supposed "heroics" in halting India’s Operation Sindoor—has suddenly developed a very convenient case of laryngitis. Following the latest State of the Union address, the headlines shifted from "Breaking News" to "Radio Silence."
While India has always maintained that Trump’s involvement in stopping the operation is pure fiction, the man himself just dropped a bombshell that has left Islamabad squirming in the quiet.
Quote heard 'round the world'
During his speech, President Trump didn't hold back, leaning into the microphone to deliver a line that was destined to make headlines—or, in this case, break them.
"35 million people said the Prime Minister(Shehbaz Sharif) of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement...," President Trump said during his speech.
Great media disappearing act
It is a classic case of "if we don’t report it, maybe it didn’t happen." The outlet Dawn managed to churn out two entire pieces on the speech, focussing on Trump’s options regarding Iran and his push for higher NATO defence spending.
Yet, they somehow managed to completely overlook the part where the US President claimed to have saved their prime minister’s life. It is an impressive feat of selective hearing for a news organisation that usually thrives on US-Pakistan dynamics.
Protecting the prime minister
Meanwhile, The Express Tribune took the "ghosting" approach to a whole new level. They opted to avoid the State of the Union address entirely, likely fearing that reporting on it would only deepen the embarrassment for Prime Minister Sharif.
After being exposed in such a theatrical manner on the global stage, it seems the Pakistani media decided that silence was the only way to shield the government from a very public, very awkward spotlight.
A sudden case of selective amnesia
The irony here is thicker than a diplomatic cable. Just a week ago, on February 19, during the Board of Peace meeting in Washington, Prime Minister Sharif was practically composing a sonnet to Trump’s "dynamic leadership."
Addressing the US President, Sharif gushed as per a Dawn report: “We deeply appreciate your unique initiatives and your dynamic leadership in advancing peaceful solutions to conflicts across the globe. Your bold diplomacy has surely brought calm to many international serious hotspots. Your timely and very effective intervention to achieve a ceasefire between India and Pakistan potentially averted the loss of tens of millions of people. You have truly proved to be a man of peace. And let me say you are truly a saviour of South Asia.”
From saviour to secret
Despite this high-praise "saviour" narrative being fed to the public just days ago, the Pakistani media is now keeping the receipt hidden.
Only a week ago, these same outlets were going into overdrive to report how Trump had lavished praise on both Prime Minister Sharif and the Chief of Defence Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir. Trump had reportedly said: “Prime Minister Sharif — I like this man — of Pakistan. Because there was some fighting going on when I got to know him and your Field Marshal, great general, great Field Marshal, great guy."
It seems the media loved the story when it was about mutual admiration and "great guys," but now that the "saviour" has claimed the prime minister would have been a goner without him, the press has decided to close the history books early.
