Posts from users on social media platform X on July 3 shared a post from digital media outlet Siasat.pk that attributed a statement to Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah that Pakistan should follow the Arab position on the Abraham Accords. However, the PML-N leader actually said that Pakistan should follow the position of the Muslim world on the issue.

The Israeli offensive, which began in response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the housing and hospital infrastructure in the enclave.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, are landmark agreements for diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. These accords paved the way for formal ties, such as embassies and trade deals, underpinned by mutual interests in security, economic collaboration, and technology exchange. While celebrated as a diplomatic shift in the Middle East, the accords also sparked debate and resistance in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif have both affirmed that Pakistan will not join, asserting that any recognition of Israel would contradict its longstanding support for a two‑state solution and could only be considered if it served Pakistan’s national interest.

On July 3, a post from Siasat.pk on X shared a visual with the following quote attributed to Sanaullah: “Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran should make a joint decision regarding the Abraham Accords, Pakistan should align with Arab countries on the Abraham Accords.”

The post gained 15,000 views.

The same visual was also shared by former anchorpersons Imran Riaz and Sabir Shakir, both criticising it and racking up over 100,000 and 7,000 views, respectively.

It was reposted by a user, who, according to his X bio, is a journalist, with the caption: “Why have the ministers suddenly caught the fever of the Abraham Accords?”

It was shared on X by a user who is known for criticising PTI and, more recently, the PML-N.

The caption of the post questioned its authenticity, asking: “Did Rana sahib really make this statement, or is it just a stunt?”

The post was viewed by more than 29,000 users.

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to keen public interest in the Abraham Accords and because many PML-N supporters were observed contesting the post.

Scanning the QR code in Siasat.pk’s post redirected to a July 2 X post by journalist Nadeem Malik, who had shared a 4:30-minute clip from his show ‘Nadeem Malik Live’, which featured Sanaullah as a guest.

The caption of his X post also attributed the same quote to the official as the post from Siasat.pk.

The transcript of the clip is provided below:

Nadeem Malik: “Rana Sahib, what is your opinion on the Abraham Accords? How should Pakistan move forward?”

Rana Sanaullah: “Look, the party or the government currently can’t have an opinion on the matter because this issue has not been presented or discussed at that level. As my two respected [fellow guests] have shared their personal opinion, I can share mine too. In my personal opinion … there has been a lot of bloodshed and injustice in Palestine. All Muslim countries and the world should establish peace there and the daily bloodshed must stop.

“For this purpose, if there is any kind of accord there, whether it is the Abraham [Accords] or any other kind of agreement between those forces and people directly involved there … and if it is acceptable to the group (Hamas) representing the Palestinians and the Arab countries sharing the border and then are agreed then I think Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and if Iran is included as well, these are major countries, there is Malaysia too, then they should make a joint decision and Pakistan should go with the Muslim world.

“If Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Iran make a decision, and the Arab states directly impacted by this matter make a decision, then Pakistan should go along with it.”

Reviewing the clip makes it clear that Sanaullah said Pakistan should go along with what the majority of the Muslim world and its major regional players in the Middle East decide regarding the Abraham Accords.

Therefore, the fact-check determined that the claim that PM aide Rana Sanaullah said that Pakistan should follow the Arab position on the Abraham Accords is misleading.

The official said that Pakistan should follow the position of the Muslim world on the issue, including countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye, Malaysia and the Arab states directly impacted by the situation in the Middle East. To omit the names of the other countries or the mention of the Muslim world has the potential to misguide the public into thinking he said Pakistan should follow the Arab position on the matter, making it seem as if he was arguing for Pakistan’s subservience to its Arab allies.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.