Arab Press Review: India–Pakistan
Arab Media Press Review: India–Pakistan Crisis in Focus
May 10, 2025
The sudden eruption of military hostilities between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors with a volatile history, has triggered a storm of reaction across the Arab media landscape. Over the past week, editorial pages, news bulletins, and opinion columns from Riyadh to Doha and from Cairo to Abu Dhabi have followed the spiraling conflict — and its fragile de-escalation — with both alarm and scrutiny. This review examines how Arab media have interpreted the conflict, its causes, its wider implications, and the efforts to rein it in.
A Familiar Flashpoint Reignites
The flashpoint, once again, is Kashmir — the disputed territory that has been at the heart of three wars between India and Pakistan since their partition in 1947. The most recent flare-up followed a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants. India responded with cross-border airstrikes and artillery barrages, prompting a fierce military exchange that left dozens of civilians dead on both sides.
Arab media, particularly Al Jazeera (Qatar-based news network) and Asharq Al-Awsat (Pan-Arab daily newspaper), swiftly connected the dots between this escalation and the underlying political, religious, and nationalistic tensions that have long plagued the subcontinent. Commentators emphasized the recurring nature of the conflict and warned that, unlike previous episodes, this time the risk of nuclear confrontation loomed larger due to the rapid pace of escalation and the collapse of prior confidence-building mechanisms, such as the Indus Waters Treaty.
Saudi Arabia’s Quiet Diplomacy
One of the most extensively covered aspects of the crisis in Arab media has been Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic intervention. Outlets including Okaz (Saudi Arabian daily paper), Al-Riyadh (Saudi national daily), and Asharq Al-Awsat (Pan-Arab daily newspaper) chronicled the efforts of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir, who conducted shuttle diplomacy between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Reports highlighted Riyadh’s growing role as a mediator in South Asian affairs, portraying the kingdom not only as a strategic ally to both India and Pakistan, but also as a credible voice for regional stability. Saudi Arabia’s calls for de-escalation, dialogue, and restraint were widely quoted, and its coordination with the United States and Turkey was presented as a model of pragmatic multilateral diplomacy. Notably, Saudi media emphasized the kingdom’s neutrality, stressing its balanced relationship with both countries and its interest in protecting the broader regional order.
The Ceasefire: A Fragile Victory
Arab outlets welcomed the surprise announcement of a ceasefire — brokered in part by U.S. President Donald Trump — as a welcome but precarious development. Al-Ittihad (UAE-based newspaper) and Emarat Al-Youm (UAE-based newspaper) praised the wisdom of the two governments in stepping back from the brink. The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed’s calls for calm were widely reported, as was Qatar’s formal statement applauding the ceasefire as a “constructive and courageous step.”
Yet, skepticism ran high. Within hours of the ceasefire, Indian sources reported violations by Pakistani forces in Kashmir — a claim echoed by Gulf News (English-language Gulf newspaper) and The National (UAE daily publication), which questioned the durability of the truce. Editorials warned that unless underpinned by substantive dialogue, the ceasefire may only offer a temporary pause, not a genuine solution.
A War of Narratives: Religion, Terrorism, and Propaganda
Arab commentary was particularly attuned to the war of narratives unfolding online and in political rhetoric. A opinion column in Asharq Al-Awsat (Pan-Arab daily newspaper) titled “They Fan the Flames of a Jihad That Isn’t Theirs” condemned attempts by Islamist factions to frame the conflict as a religious obligation for Muslims. The author criticized regional actors — including Arab sympathizers of jihadi ideologies — for exploiting the situation to reignite pan-Islamist fervor.
This stance was echoed by other Arab outlets, which highlighted a warning issued by Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a founding figure of the Afghan Taliban, who cautioned Pashtun communities in Pakistan against being dragged into a “holy war” narrative. His remarks were seen as a striking intervention — not from a secular figure, but from a deeply religious militant veteran — and were interpreted in Arab press as a rare moment of internal reckoning within jihadist circles.
The Shadow of the Bomb
Arab newspapers did not shy away from discussing the nuclear implications of the crisis. A series of editorials and op-eds in Al-Qabas (Kuwaiti daily newspaper) and Al-Ahram (Egyptian state-owned newspaper) warned that the world had come dangerously close to a nuclear flashpoint. Commentators pointed out that the public disclosure of emergency meetings by Pakistan’s nuclear command — later denied — added to a sense of instability.
In a widely shared analysis, Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egyptian daily paper) noted that nuclear doctrine in South Asia is opaque and vulnerable to miscalculation. The column emphasized that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the growing militarization of rhetoric on both sides threatened the already fragile strategic stability of the region.
Water Wars and the Weaponization of Resources
The Arab press also picked up on a parallel but crucial dimension of the crisis: water. Following India’s decision to withdraw from the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, some Arab commentators likened the conflict to other regional disputes over transboundary rivers, such as the Nile Basin conflict between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. In Al Bayan (UAE Arabic newspaper), a columnist warned that “when diplomacy fails, water becomes a weapon,” drawing disturbing parallels between water scarcity, nationalism, and war.
A Crisis Observed Through a Regional Lens
Arab media coverage of the India–Pakistan crisis has been nuanced, serious, and far-reaching. From highlighting the perils of nuclear brinkmanship to condemning the instrumentalization of religion, the press in the region has recognized the broader implications of the subcontinental standoff — for South Asia, the Middle East, and the world.
If one thread runs through all reporting, it is this: the India–Pakistan conflict, though geographically distant, resonates deeply across the Arab world — politically, strategically, and emotionally. With strong ties to both countries and growing global influence, Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are increasingly seen not just as observers, but as participants in shaping the pathways to peace.