Rahm Emanuel’s Allegation Against Pakistan

Rahm Emanuel’s Allegation Against Pakistan

Former US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel’s made the unsubstantiated allegation in the second episode of the Meida Stouch Podcast (12 October 2025). It was that Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, had been bribed to include Pakistan in trade negotiations. His remark was rapidly spread on social media, particularly via Megh Updates, a profile that is well-known in exaggerating Indian propaganda stories.

Not only is the charge unsubstantiated, but it is part of an old tradition of politically motivated disinformation to undermine the diplomatic benefits of Pakistan and the common sense of Washington in its dealings with Islamabad.

The Indian Propaganda in the form of News

The Megh Updates has in the recent few years turned into a convenient propaganda tool of New Delhi. The platform repackages unsubstantiated assertions and anti-Pakistan narratives on an ongoing basis as breaking news, typically in alignment with the time it gets Pakistan diplomatic acknowledgment or strategic discussions with Washington. Its exaggeration of the accusation of Emanuel comes out of the concept of journalism more than a smear campaign, an effort to derail its better relationship with the United States by the Trump administration.
Moreover, the larger Indian agenda is obvious, to put Pakistan in the position of a maneuvering player yet hide Indian dissatisfaction with US policies undermining its trade privileges. Also, its stuttering position with Russia. With the assistance of the diaspora voices and sympathetic Western media, the media ecosystem in India is still managing to use rumor as a weapon to deflect the frustrations of its own diplomatic failure.

Rahm Emanuel, A Question mark Messenger

The track record of Rahm Emanuel is not very encouraging. His political opportunism and brash persona filled the two years of his tenure as mayor of Chicago with controversy, including spending his time mismanaging the police accountability and losing his own Democratic party. In fact, he is not a diplomat who is characterized by objectivity, his utterances are normally partisan as opposed to analyzing rather than analyzing.
Another area which Emanuel has developed strong connections with is the Indian lobby circles in Washington. Notably, a good number of which actively propagate the New Delhi foreign policy messages. This bias is reiterated in his new remarks that depicted Pakistan as an easy scapegoat in a US political melodramatic which has little to do with South Asia but much to do with internal polarization of America.

Partisan Exploitation and India’s Proxy Strategy

India’s discomfort with the Trump administration was never hidden. Trump’s tariffs on Indian goods and his criticism of New Delhi’s Russian defense ties left deep resentment among Indian policymakers. With Democrats back in the White House, India and its allies in Washington’s lobbying ecosystem appear eager to reshape the narrative. This is primarily by linking Pakistan to Trump era controversies and painting Islamabad as complicit in supposed corruption.
Emanuel’s allegation therefore serves two purposes. Domestically, it feeds anti-Trump sentiment within the Democratic base. Internationally, it provides India with a readymade talking point to tarnish both Pakistan and Trump’s past engagement with Islamabad. This is narrative warfare masquerading as diplomacy.
Behind the scenes, India’s public relations apparatus spends billions annually to influence think tanks, lobbyists, and media outlets in the US and Europe. The same network that pushes anti-Pakistan talking points also funds selective human rights campaigns, often ignoring India’s own record. It’s perception management, not a goal of moral clarity.

Western Partisanship Made into a Weapon

The normalization of foreign influence with manipulation of information what is being observed. The group of Western commentators, some of whom have proven anti-Muslim tendencies, is small and well-organized in terms of timing and manner, constantly promoting that way of framing India prefers, disregarding the fact on the ground. The outburst Emanuel gave perfectly fits in this pattern. This is particularly an insider in the political sphere of the West who is on his platform to give a voice to the talking points that have their roots in the strategic communications playbook in New Delhi.
Such actors are disguising their interventions as an act of democracy and accountability, yet their interest is to get domestic political mileage. The scapegoat in partisan US discussions is Pakistan, the name mentioned not as a policy issue but in short as a synonym to corruption or instability. This kind of rhetoric also weakens the real diplomatic discourse and destroys the credibility of individuals who politically perform their plays using foreign relations.

Pakistan and its Record and Role in the Region

In opposition to these false accusations, the foreign policy of Pakistan is based on dialogue, stability in the region, and collaboration in countering terrorism. The relationship between Islamabad and Washington has now become more of a partnership than a transactional relationship due to the common interest in counterterrorism, trade, and energy security. The policymakers in the US regardless of their political parties still acknowledge the role of Pakistan as a stabilizing force in the South Asian region particularly when international powers are on the rise.
The Pakistani diplomatic power is established on the principles of its continued promotion of peace and equal partnership, unlike India, which spends significant funds on lobbying to influence the perceptions of other countries. Pakistan is not a country that is concerned with the neighboring situation, it is its earnestness, which is seen in its attempts to mediate in Afghanistan and counter extremist thinking, which has earned it the respect of those who are concerned with responsible policies. Smear campaigns cannot annul that fact.

The Real Risk Information Warfare and Credibility Erosion

The allegation made by Emanuel, backed by the Megh Updates, highlights a worrying pattern. As this increase in the weaponization of media systems to conduct psychological and diplomatic warfare. Once misinformation is internalized into the elite discourse, it not only destroys the image of Pakistan but also the credibility of the international well.
To Washington, it is risky to get sucked into such stories. It has estranged a key partner in the region when the US needs to get on well with South and Central Asia to gain influence in the region. It is also an indication to the foes of the world that partisan spin might prevail over facts when it comes to formulating debate on foreign policies.

The argument by Rahm Emanuel is not a factual statement, but rather a fact of political expediency and discrimination based on region.

The motive is quite clear based on his track record, coupled with the propagandist nature of such platforms as Megh Updates, and it is to slur the name of Pakistan, restore the image of India in the domain of their domestic partisan politics.
The credibility of Pakistan is not pegged on paid influence but its long term dedication of peace, dialogue, and international collaboration in the region. The fake news vendors, who are propagating fake news to conform to political or ideological interests, are even more indicative of their own insecurity rather than how Pakistan behaves.
Ultimately, the truths and time will still prove the diplomacy of Islamabad over the din of propaganda.