National Security Advisor (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf seems to have got into the habit of being misunderstood and misquoted by foreign media outlets of high standing which, usually, do not get their story wrong and have to double-check everything before going to print. Yet first the Financial Times allegedly completely misunderstood and misrepresented Dr Yusuf, claiming that he complained about US President Joe Biden not telephoning Prime Minister Imran Khan, which he later denied and demanded an apology and a retraction; neither of which has come so far. Now, The Times seems to have made a similar mistake because, according to him, he’s pretty surprised that its reporter quoted him as warning of another 9/11-type attack if the international community didn’t to recognise and support the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Two is a trend, they rightly say in the world of statistics. And now the Pakistani NSA will have to prove that he’s right because the manner in which some of his statements are being interpreted internationally can cause harm as well as embarrassment to the country. And it’s not too hard to get to the bottom of such things. The international press is required to keep recordings of all interviews precisely to make such instances less controversial than they have to be. If the NSA has really been misquoted, not once but twice, and neither the demanded retractions nor apologies have been forthcoming, then he’s well within his right to initiate legal proceedings against the publications in question. That, of course, is when the court will ask for evidence and everything will become clear beyond doubt. It also needs to be noted that sometimes the government’s spokespersons and many ministers who like to comment on everything under the sky also do no small disservice to the administration by often contradicting one another. And the prime reason for such confusion is the glaring lack of a cohesive, well-structured national narrative on all important matters. It is also very important to decide just who within the government is allowed to speak about issues that concern national security. Whether the world’s media is out to get Dr Yusuf, as he clearly seems to think, or whether he’s becoming used to speak first and thinking later, it is clear either way that he’s not the best man to make statements about issues that are critical for Pakistan. The prime minister must see who can best explain the country’s position to the rest of the world and then make sure that those given this responsibility have no ambiguities about their charge or the lines they have to take. *