There has been a lot of focus on whether Pakistan will become the next target. A government spokesman was quoted by The News (18 March 2003) denying that Pakistan was under any risk. Later Chaudhury Shuajaat Hussain also commented (The News, 24 March 2003) that nuclear programme of Pakistan is in safe hands and that Pakistan will not be the next target after Iraq.

Corps Commander Lt. Gen Zarrar Azim was quoted (Dawn, 27 March 2003) stating that the US could not target Pakistan because of its nuclear capability, as it had been there for the last one decade.

However Maj Gen (retd) Shafiq Ahmad feels Pakistan should be cautious. According to him (‘Beware Pakistan’, The Nation, 25 March 2003) “Pakistan was already one of those evil countries on the list of the USA. But due to our support in war on Afghanistan we were not pronounced as such. Moreover, Pakistan continues to be a desired ally to deal with Usama-Bin-Ladin and Taliban re-emergence in Afghanistan. Hence an open declaration of Pakistan as 'axis of evil' is not likely to be pronounced as yet…Pakistan has two characteristics. One, that it is an Islamic country, not just by name but also in reality and spirit. Secondly it is a nuclear country. Both these ingredients are primary targets of USA…America had a misconception that Pakistan may not be as Islamic as was thought to be. This impression was created when Pakistan took a U-turn and supported USA in Afghanistan. But the emergence of the Mutahiddah-Majlis-I-Amal (MMA) party in two provinces of Pakistan and its very successful public meetings in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore recently must have cleared any such doubtsâ€Â