Pakistan and Kuwait Begin Talks on Expanded Defence Pact
Pakistan and Kuwait are in early‑stage negotiations to broaden their defence cooperation in exchange for energy security and investment. Kuwait seeks a package similar to Pakistan’s 2025 pact with Saudi Arabia, asking for “thousands of Pakistani troops, fighter jets, drones, an air‑defence system and other facilities,” while Pakistani officials stress that deployment of combat troops is not being considered at this stage.
The talks are complicated by heightened U.S.–Iran tensions after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have raised concerns in Islamabad that its existing Saudi defence agreement could pull Pakistan into a broader US‑Iran conflict. Kuwait, which has endured Iranian strikes, views the expanded pact as a way to bolster its security.
Background data show Pakistan fields the fourth‑largest military in Asia with about 660,000 active personnel, over 420 combat aircraft and an estimated 170 nuclear warheads, underscoring its capacity to serve as a regional security partner.