Just days after Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, led a delegation that reportedly concluded a defence export agreement worth over $4 billion with forces aligned to Libya’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, tragedy struck the other side of Libya’s fractured military landscape.

Libya’s Chief of Staff, General Mohammed al-Haddad, along with several senior officers, was killed on Tuesday in an air crash near Ankara following an official visit. The timing was striking. Those who perished were closely associated with Libya’s UN-recognised transitional authorities, backed politically and militarily by Türkiye and Qatar, while the reported Pakistani arms deal was concluded with a rival faction supported by the UAE and Egypt.

The dominant public reaction in Pakistan was celebratory. Social media commentary highlighted the economic promise of defence exports, the growing visibility of Pakistan’s military-industrial capabilities, particularly in aircraft, drones, and missile systems, and the sense that Pakistan was finally asserting itself beyond South Asia. Much less attention was paid to Libya’s internal fragmentation or to the diplomatic sensitivities of engaging one side of a deeply polarised conflict.

That contrast between enthusiasm at home and complexity abroad captures the broader dilemma now facing Pakistan: how to convert rising diplomatic momentum into gains without drifting into conflicts shaped by rivalries that Islamabad neither controls nor fully shares.

Pakistan’s current diplomatic upswing is real. Since the four-day military confrontation with India in May, Islamabad’s regional and global standing has visibly improved. Its military performance and deterrence posture—supported by indigenous capabilities and Chinese-origin platforms challenged long-held assumptions about South Asian power balances. This shift coincided with renewed American interest in recalibrating relations with Pakistan under President Trump, who has also reassessed India’s strategic relevance to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, besides imposing harsher tariffs against the erstwhile close US ally.

Old Rivalries, New Conflicts: Afghanistan And Pakistan Face Tensions Again

At the same time, Pakistan’s partnership with China has remained steady, with renewed emphasis on continuity through CPEC-related discussions framed as “Phase 2.0”, reinforcing the strategic narrative even amid economic constraints. Defence ties with Saudi Arabia have also reached new heights, underscored by explicit mutual-defence understandings immediately following the Israeli attack on Doha. Together, these developments have created a sense—both within Pakistan and among external partners—that Islamabad has entered a period of expanded diplomatic space and renewed relevance.

Such moments, however, come with temptations. Rising visibility often encourages states to demonstrate presence, influence, and capability across multiple theatres. For Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)........

© The Friday Times