Authorities in Pakistan have rejected as “complete nonsense” a claim by Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar that Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad had allegedly planned to assassinate Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and members of the Pakistani delegation during their recent Switzerland visit.
The allegation was made by Escobar during a podcast hosted by Lebanese-Australian political commentator Mario Nawfal, where he claimed that Pakistan’s military had received “credible intelligence” about an alleged Israeli plan targeting Munir and other Pakistani officials travelling to Switzerland for diplomatic engagements linked to recent US-Iran talks.
The ‘ultra-credible’ info
Escobar claimed that the alleged plot was connected to meetings held at the Burgenstock Resort, where delegations from Pakistan and Qatar were involved in discussions related to negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at advancing efforts to end the broader West Asia conflict.
“Pakistani military received ultra-credible information that the Mossad was preparing, under orders by Netanyahu [Israel prime minister], an assassination attempt against Asim Munir and maybe the rest of the Pakistani delegation going to Switzerland,” Escobar said during the podcast.
He further alleged that Islamabad responded by sending a warning to Israel through diplomatic channels, possibly via Oman.
‘Pak said will wipe Israel off’
Escobar said the message conveyed by Pakistan was: “If you touch our delegation, we’re going to wipe you off the map, period.”
“So the Pakistan sent a direct message via their usual intermediaries… I would bet that would be Oman in this case…directed to Israel saying if you touch our delegation we are going to wipe you off the map, period,” Escobar said.
The claim gained widespread attention on social media because of its explosive nature and the involvement of senior figures. However, Pakistani officials moved quickly to deny the allegation.
Kamran Khan, chairman of Pakistani news channel ARY News, cited a senior Pakistani security official who dismissed the report and said the claim was entirely fabricated.
Khan said on X that the official described the allegation as “absolutely rubbish and complete nonsense.”
According to the official, Khan said, the entire Swiss visit by the Pakistani delegation, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, “proceeded like clockwork.”
The senior official further said that “Pakistan’s security arrangements remained fully in place throughout the Prime Minister’s and the Field Marshal’s stay in Lucerne.”
The official dismissed the assassination claim as “baseless fiction with no connection to reality.”
The official said the Switzerland visit by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir took place without any security concerns or disruptions.
“At no point during the visit was there any security alert or even the slightest concern raised by the Swiss or US security teams,” the official said.
The official added that Pakistan’s security arrangements remained fully operational throughout the delegation’s stay in Lucerne and that there was no indication of any threat.
Rejecting the assassination claim, the official called the report “baseless fiction with no connection to reality.”
Neither Israeli authorities nor Mossad have publicly responded to the allegation.
The controversy comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts involving the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar, with discussions continuing on sanctions relief, regional security arrangements and a broader framework for long-term stability in West Asia.
