Mumbai: Even as a fragile peace holds on between the US and Iran despite the mayhem orchestrated by Israel in Lebanon through relentless bombings on April 8, the events that led to the temporary ceasefire have put peacebroker Pakistan in the scanner regarding its exact role.
What raised eyebrows was when a tweet in 'draft' mode went out from the official X handle of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing the ceasefire. On deeper examination, it is obvious that Sharif's tweet included Lebanon in both stages, while US President Donald Trump claimed that it was not mentioned.
Controversy Over Lebanon Erupts
As per Pakistan, the agreement stated that all parties had agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately. However, when asked about Israel continuing its strikes in Lebanon following the agreement, President Trump said that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of Hezbollah.
“It’s part of the deal — everyone knows that. That’s a separate skirmish,” he said. “They were not included in the deal. That’ll get taken care of, too. It’s all right,” he added in a brief telephone interview with PBS NewsHour.
This allowed Israel to exploit the situation and launch the most brutal of bombings in Lebanon.
Pre-Scripted Or Externally Influenced?
In light of the controversy, reports have circulated suggesting that the ceasefire message may have been seen by the US before it was posted by Prime Minister Sharif. There are also indications that Washington may have had a role in drafting it. If that's true then the White House was well aware of Lebanon being included in the tweet.
The draft tweet even led to speculation that it was approved by Washington before being posted by the Pakistani Prime Minister. According to The New York Times, the White House clearly denied that President Trump wrote the statement, but speculation persists.
In these circumstances, why President Trump chose to avoid Lebanon remains in mystery.
Before The Ceasefire
On April 8, President Trump agreed to a 14-day ceasefire after talks with Prime Minister Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to a post shared on his official Truth Social account.
The ceasefire, which was supposed to bring in a sense of calm following heightened tensions in West Asia after the US and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, resulting in the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other senior officials is still to come into effect completely in letter and spirit.
