World News
Pakistan and Kuwait sign defence agreement to expand military cooperation
The deal focuses on training, capacity building, and border management, formalizing security ties amid broader regional uncertainties.
The short version
- Pakistan and Kuwait signed the Protocol Agreement-2026 in Rawalpindi to enhance their military cooperation framework.
- Pakistani forces will assist Kuwait's military through training, capacity building, intelligence sharing, and border management support.
- Unlike Pakistan's pacts with Saudi Arabia, the deal does not contain a mutual or collective-defence clause.
- What economic or strategic benefits Pakistan will receive in return remains unconfirmed.
Key facts
- Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Kuwaiti Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah signed the Protocol Agreement-2026 on Thursday in Rawalpindi.[Al Jazeera]
- The agreement expands on an underlying military cooperation framework originally signed in June 2023.[Al Jazeera]
- Under the protocol, Pakistani armed forces will assist in training Kuwait's military, enhancing its defense capabilities, and supporting border management.[Al Jazeera]
- The agreement includes logistics, joint exercises, and intelligence sharing, governed by an annual joint military committee.[Al Jazeera]
- The pact lacks a mutual defence or collective-security clause that treats an attack on one nation as an attack on both.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- The specific economic or strategic compensation Pakistan will receive from Kuwait under the agreement remains unconfirmed, with potential gains like subsidized energy or worker visas depending on future regional conditions.[Al Jazeera]