Death does not turn a political record into a blank page, and Pakistan should stop behaving as though every obituary requires us to develop diplomatic amnesia. Instead Pakistan should revoke the Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam that they conferred.
US Senator Lindsey Graham has died at 71 after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness”, a development announced through his official account and rapidly carried by Al Arabiya English and international news organisations. Yet before Washington, Jerusalem and Kyiv complete the process of polishing Graham’s career into one uninterrupted story of patriotism and global leadership, Pakistan has every right to open a government document dated August 14, 2019 and ask a very uncomfortable question.
Why did we honour this man with the Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam for “Services to Pakistan”?
And what exactly did Pakistan learn when, seven years later, the same senator publicly declared: “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them”?
That is not an angry Pakistani tweet. That is not a WhatsApp conspiracy. That is not somebody photoshopping Graham into an AI-generated hellscape with a demon holding a trident.
That is the documentary record.
First, Correct the Viral Mistake: It Was Not Sitara-i-Pakistan
One of the screenshots circulating after Graham’s death incorrectly identifies his Pakistani honour as the Sitara-i-Pakistan. The official Press Information Department record is unambiguous. Under the heading HILAL-I-QUAID-I-AZAM, entry number 10 reads: “Senator Lindsey Graham (USA) Services to Pakistan.” The award was announced among Pakistan’s 2019 civil awards, with the investiture scheduled for Pakistan Day 2020.
This correction matters because the internet has a terrible habit of weakening a perfectly legitimate argument with one incorrect screenshot. We do not need the wrong award. The truth is already more powerful.
Pakistan gave Lindsey Graham the Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam.
| Date | Documentary Record | What It Means for Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| January 2019 | Graham promoted a strategic rather than merely transactional US-Pakistan relationship | Islamabad saw him as an influential advocate in Washington |
| July 22, 2019 | Graham publicly backed a strategic relationship and possible free trade agreement with Pakistan | His political value to Pakistan was openly recognised |
| August 14, 2019 | Pakistan announced Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam for Graham for “Services to Pakistan” | The relationship was converted into a state honour |
| January 16, 2020 | Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry again praised his support for the bilateral strategic partnership | Graham remained institutionally valued by Islamabad |
| November 2023 | Graham said no level of Gaza civilian casualties would necessarily make him question Israel’s military objective | His uncompromising Israel alignment became increasingly explicit |
| May 2024 | Graham invoked Hiroshima and Nagasaki while arguing Israel should receive the weapons it needed | His hawkish military philosophy became impossible to ignore |
| May 12, 2026 | “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them” | The honoured “friend of Pakistan” openly attacked Pakistan’s diplomatic credibility |
| May 2026 | Graham questioned Pakistan’s mediator role amid Islamabad’s opposition to Israel normalisation pressure | Pakistan’s independent regional position collided with Graham’s priorities |
| July 11, 2026 | Graham died aged 71 following a brief and sudden illness | His death reopened debate over the political legacy Pakistan once rewarded |
The 2019 and 2020 entries are supported by Graham’s Senate archive, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and the official civil-awards announcement; the 2023–2026 entries are drawn from recorded public statements and contemporaneous reporting.
In 2019, Lindsey Graham Sounded Like Washington’s Best Salesman for Pakistan
This is the part many younger Pakistanis will not remember.
In July 2019, after participating in the meeting between Donald Trump and then-prime minister Imran Khan, Graham issued a statement through his own Senate office. He said: “It is now time for the United States to have a strategic relationship with Pakistan.” He promoted a free trade agreement linked to security performance and praised changes he said he had observed in Pakistan’s military approach along the Afghan border.
Read that again.
A strategic relationship.
Trade.
Regional stability.
Recognition of Pakistan’s military actions.
Pakistan’s “complete buy-in” as essential to the Afghanistan settlement.
Then look at the timing. Graham’s statement came on July 22, 2019. Pakistan’s civil-award announcement came weeks later, on August 14.
By January 2020, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was still officially appreciating Graham’s support for strengthening the Pakistan-US strategic partnership. The ministry recorded his support for greater bilateral trade, agricultural cooperation and movement towards a free trade agreement, while Graham praised Pakistan’s role in the Afghan political reconciliation process.
From Islamabad’s perspective at the time, the calculation is not difficult to reconstruct. Pakistan had endured years of American accusations over Afghanistan, Trump had previously attacked Pakistan publicly, and the country desperately needed influential voices inside Washington willing to argue that engagement with Islamabad was strategically necessary.
Graham was useful.
So Pakistan honoured him.
That is precisely the problem.
AI Music Generator
July 13, 2026 at 8:52 am
What stood out to me is the contrast between the honor Pakistan once extended and the later rhetoric that created distrust. Whether people agree with your conclusion or not, the piece raises an important question about how quickly diplomatic relationships can shift when political messaging starts to outweigh long-term engagement.