Washington, April 25 (IANS) Pakistan should not be viewed as a mediator but as a deeply “problematic partner” whose privileged status as a major non-NATO ally warrants serious reconsideration. Despite Washington’s political, economic and military engagements with Islamabad, Pakistan has repeatedly proved to be an unreliable strategic partner for the United States, a report said on Saturday.
“In recent months, the Trump administration has strengthened relations with Pakistan, which holds Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the United States – a designation that grants privileged access to military cooperation and equipment. In the summer of 2025, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir – the real leader of Pakistan – visited the White House twice within a short period, underscoring the renewed engagement between Washington and Islamabad. The United States has also shown interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan in emerging sectors, including the crypto industry. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s participation in the ‘Board of Peace’ has further elevated its international profile, a report in the ‘American Thinker’ detailed.
Questioning Pakistan’s credibility as a “neutral intermediary” in the US-Iran conflict, it highlighted that, in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Islamabad allowed Hamas representatives to operate freely on its soil, participate in public events, and build ties with local terror groups.
“Naji Zaheer, the current special representative of Hamas in Pakistan, was invited to participate in major events as a guest of honour and has become a fixture at anti-Israel rallies and conferences in Pakistan. Zaheer has often shared the stage with groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), both designated as terrorist organisations by the United States and linked to attacks in India,” the report mentioned.
According to the report, Pakistan’s anti-Western stance became evident during the June 2025, 12-Day War – the direct clash between Iran and a coalition of Israel and the United States – with Islamabad adopting a position supportive of Iran.
The report noted that the trend continued into 2026, when, on January 24, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi thanked Pakistan for backing Tehran at the UN Human Rights Council after Islamabad voted against a resolution seeking to expand an international investigation into Iran’s violent crackdown on protests.
Earlier in March, following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences, terming Khamenei’s death as a “martyrdom” and extending solidarity with the Iranian people “in their hour of grief and sorrow”.
“Taken together, these actions raise significant doubts about Pakistan’s ability to be an impartial broker in the U.S.-Iran conflict. While Washington continues to invest trust in Islamabad, Pakistan’s conduct reflects a consistent pattern of prioritising regional and ideological ties with Tehran over its strategic commitments to Washington,” the report stated.
–IANS
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