Mehdi GRILLS Pakistani Defense Minister on Imran Khan, the US, Kashmir, and MORE

A defense agreement with Saudi Arabia. An almost nuclear war with India. The ongoing detention of the country’s most famous opposition leader. And a self-proclaimed democracy that’s effectively run by the military. Mehdi Hasan sits down with Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif in New York to discuss all of this and more, in a wide-ranging and exclusive interview covering the domestic and foreign policies of one of the US’s closest allies in the region (that also happens to be allied with China) – and the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country in the world. Pakistan recently signed a historic mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, which has long wanted to be a nuclear power. “Is Saudi Arabia protected by Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella per this agreement?” Mehdi asks. Mehdi also probed the defense minister on his government’s treatment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition leader and former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023, despite international condemnation and UN experts calling his detention “illegal”. They go on to discuss Kashmir, with Asif suggesting Pakistan’s openness to a possible referendum for Kashmiri independence; the country’s controversial alliance with China and its refusal to condemn the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang; and why he is willing to criticize Israel but not his ally to the East. Mehdi also pushed the defense minister on his country’s relationship with the US, including its controversial nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on June 20, one day before the US president ordered a military attack on Iran. *This interview was published on Zeteo’s Substack over a week ago. If you would like early access to exclusive content like this, then head over to zeteo.com and become a paid subscriber now. Your support matters to us and helps us deliver fearless, independent journalism to YOU our subscribers. Chapters: 00:00 intro 1:33 Defense Pact 6:44 Muslim NATO 9:43 Israel 13:26 China 18:00 Kashmir 24:45 Military 28: Imran Khan 38:08 Climate Change Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Find Zeteo: Twitter:   / zeteo_news   Instagram:   / zeteonews   TikTok:   / zeteonews   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter:   / @mehdirhasan   Instagram:   / @mehdirhasan   Tik Tok:   / mehdirhasan