The PakStack — June 13

What matters today in Pakistan, India and the rest of South Asia – in five minutes or less.

June 13, 2025
Written by Shiza M. | Edited by Wajahat S. Khan

Strikes, Sanctions, and Strategic Blunders

Israel hits Iran's nuclear heart while Pakistan's army chief schmoozes in Washington—bad timing or calculated diplomacy?

1. Mushroom Clouds and Martyrs: Israel Decapitates Iran's Nuclear Brain Trust

What, When and Where: Israel unleashed over 200 fighter jets in pre-dawn strikes across Iran, hitting at least six sites—Tehran, Natanz, Tabriz, Isfahan, Arak, and Kermanshah.. The assault targeted nuclear facilities, missile stockpiles, and decapitated Iran's strategic leadership in what marks Israel's largest air campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Who: The casualty list reads like Iran's power structure obituary: IRGC Chief Hossein Salami, General Mohammad Bagheri, and nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi among the dead. Casualties total 70+ killed, 320+ injured, with Iran confirming 8 dead in Tabriz alone.

Why: This wasn't random escalation—it was calculated decapitation. Iran had just bragged about seizing "thousands of sensitive Israeli government documents" covering nuclear projects, U.S. ties, and defense capabilities. Israel's response: surgical strikes that reveal breathtaking intelligence penetration built over years.

What else: Iran brands the strikes a "declaration of war" and pledges "divine vengeance." Israel has shuttered all embassies worldwide, anticipating retaliation. Jordan, along with other Gulf states, has closed its airspace and is actively intercepting and shooting down Iranian drones and missiles, marking a rare and direct regional intervention. Global airlines have rerouted or canceled flights over Iranian, Iraqi, and Jordanian airspace. The UN Security Council convenes today at Tehran's request while Trump warns of "even more brutal" attacks coming.

Quotable: "This unprecedented strike not only decapitates Iran's strategic command and scientific leadership but also shatters planned U.S.–Iran nuclear talks, dramatically raising the risk of rapid Iranian retaliation and wider regional war." — NBC News analysis

2. Parade Ground Politics: Munir's Washington Waltz While Tehran Burns

What, When and Where: Field Marshal Asim Munir landed in Washington for a three-day visit (June 13-18) on Trump team's invitation, with stops at the State Department, Pentagon, and CENTCOM HQ. He's the special guest at the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade on June 14—which conveniently falls on Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day—where he is likely to rub shoulders with Trump.

The Optics Problem: Pakistani leaders have catastrophic timing. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Imran Khan was glad-handing Putin in Moscow. Now, as Israel obliterates Iran's nuclear infrastructure, Pakistan's army chief celebrates at American military parades. Munir’s officers contend that his trip was planned months ago, and that the timing has nothing to do with Israel’s war plans. Still the Field Marshal’s detractors are already making a case against him: as Iran bleeds, Pakistan's strongman parties with Tehran's adversaries.

Why This Matters: The agenda reveals Washington's Pakistan’s strategy: crypto diplomacy U.S. access to Pakistan's mineral reserves, and assurances about Islamabad's Beijing tilt. This marks a sharp pivot—just weeks ago, U. lawmakers discussed sanctioning Munir; now he's being courted by Washington's security elite.

Regional Implications: The visit signals America's return to transactional geopolitics, hedging bets rather than picking permanent South Asian partners. India is watching nervously as Washington courts Pakistan's military elite just as Israel-Iran tensions explode.

Bonus Watch: U.S. CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism world,” crediting its role in dismantling ISIS-K networks and capturing key figures, including a suspect tied to the Abbey Gate bombing. Despite facing over 1,000 attacks on its western border since 2024, Pakistan remains a frontline ally in regional stability.

Quotable: "Mining and fintech cooperation could become pillars of a new U.S.-Pakistan relationship, while Munir's high-visibility visit signals Washington's willingness to thaw relations only weeks after lawmakers mulled sanctions." — South China Morning Post

3. Pilgrims, Posturing, and Political Theater: Pakistan's Iran Response

What Pakistan's Doing: PM Shehbaz activated crisis cells, embassy hotlines, and "all available resources" to evacuate Pakistani pilgrims from Iran and Iraq while condemning Israeli "aggression." The Foreign Office warned Pakistanis to defer travel—standard diplomatic theater that changes nothing substantively.

The Economic Reality: Pakistan's central bank held rates at 12% amid imported inflation fears, proving distant geopolitical shocks feed directly into domestic monetary decisions. Energy security concerns are already rattling economic managers as oil markets convulse.

PTI's 2 Cents: Even from jail, Imran Khan's party squeezed political mileage, condemning strikes as "gross contravention of the UN Charter" and calling it "an assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the entire region." Classic PTI: grandstanding on foreign policy while offering zero concrete solutions.

The Impossible Triangle: Islamabad faces strategic paralysis—maintaining ties with Washington (where Munir networks), preserving relations with Tehran (where Pakistani pilgrims worship), and avoiding alienating Riyadh (which quietly applauds Iran's humiliation). Pakistan's response? Performative outrage and bureaucratic protocols.

Quotable: "Islamabad's rapid response frames the govt as proactive amid Israel-Iran fighting, shielding an estimated tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims during peak visitation." — Dawn analysis

4. PTI's Tantrum Playbook: Budget Blackmail and Bail Theatrics

The Budget Ultimatum: PTI's parliamentary wing threatens to block the federal budget unless Imran Khan's jailed "suggestions" are included. Speaker Babar Saleem Swati declared no PTI official can violate Khan's orders—essentially holding parliament hostage to a convicted politician's whims from behind bars.

Gandapur's Grandstanding: KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur demanded meetings with Khan for budget discussions, warning failure would leave PTI "free to take our own decisions." Translation: more street agitation and constitutional brinkmanship while the country faces genuine crises.

Legal Theatrics: PTI lawyers work overtime on bail applications, with elaborate arguments about Dr. Yasmin Rashid's case highlighting the party's victimization narrative. Mass rallies in Peshawar demanding Khan's release show street power—but reveal zero coherent political strategy.

The Perks Paradox: PTI leaders highlight how the current regime has enriched itself while impoverishing the masses. As one PTI leader noted, parliamentarians multiplied their pays and perks after the "regime change operation" while pushing the public into poverty—underscoring the establishment's self-serving priorities versus PTI's populist positioning.

Quotable: "Amazing work, boys! To keep Imran Khan illegally in jail, and give a 17 seat family party power to be able to name everything after the daughter and her father tells you exactly why there is so much hate for this regime across Pakistan." — Taimur Jhagra

The Contradiction: While Aleema Khan defends Gandapur's inflammatory rhetoric and party leaders cry about regime illegitimacy, they simultaneously participate in the same parliamentary system they claim is fraudulent. It's political schizophrenia masquerading as principled opposition.

Quotable: "If Imran Khan's suggestions are not included, the budget will not be approved. Neither I nor any other official can violate Imran Khan's order." — Speaker Babar Saleem Swati

5. Conclusion: Power, Projection, and Pakistani Political Theater

The region isn't just escalating—it's fragmenting along new fault lines. Israel's surgical strikes prove intelligence and air superiority trumps nuclear ambitions when your command structure lies in rubble. Iran's "divine vengeance" threats ring hollow when your top brass are martyrs and your nuclear program smolders. And let’s not pretend Netanyahu’s war stops at Iran. He’s made veiled threats toward Pakistan before—and judging by his current recklessness, there are no red lines left. Pakistan would be wise to remember that his wars are not strategic—they’re survivalist, and survivalists don’t stop until they’re stopped. Also, watch out for how India backs Israel in the following days (Bibi spoke to Modi today).

Meanwhile, Pakistan's army chief plays dress up at American parades while Tehran burns—a Machiavellian display of priorities that indicates Islamabad's strategic complexities. Munir's Washington waltz may yield short-term diplomatic dividends, but the optics are going to be poisonous for a country that claims to champion Muslim solidarity.

As PTI throws parliamentary tantrums over budget technicalities while the Middle East explodes, the broader lesson emerges: in a multipolar world, fence-sitting isn't neutrality—it's paralysis. Pakistan's leaders need to decide whether they're strategic players or opportunistic spectators. Right now, they're looking suspiciously like the latter, dancing to others' tunes while the region burns around them.