MENA partnerships |
PAKISTAN’S renewed focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is beginning to yield tangible results, particularly in defence cooperation. What stands out in this outreach is its diversity: Pakistan is engaging simultaneously with countries experiencing active conflict as well as with relatively stable Gulf monarchies. More importantly, this evolving engagement raises an important question about how these varied relationships are shaping Pakistan’s strategic outlook, policy choices, and approach to statecraft.
Pakistan’s relationship with the Gulf has long rested on deep-rooted economic, political, and security ties shaped by history. However, the recent expansion of engagement reflects a more deliberate and pragmatic approach, suggesting that Islamabad is recalibrating its regional strategy. This recalibration is not only about defence exports or military diplomacy; it also offers Pakistan opportunities to observe and learn from different models of statecraft, both in contexts of stability and in situations marked by political fragmentation and conflict.
In this broader context, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s first official visit to Pakistan on Friday was particularly significant. It came after Pakistan signed a defence cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia in mid-September, an agreement that attracted considerable attention from observers who were closely watching how Pakistan would balance relations with other Gulf states, especially the UAE and Qatar, given their divergent positions on several MENA conflicts.
Sudan provides a clear example of........