Pakistan Garnering Its Resources In Compelling Iran To Cease Its Attacks.

Islamabad; March 2026: His Excellency Mr. Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, had a telephonic discussions with His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on yesterday, March 07th, 2026, with regards to the brutal Iranian attacks on the GCC countries, and the latest developments in the region.

During the call, the serious situation in the region was discussed, along with the unprecedented developments that have affected security and stability, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.

The Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister affirmed the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s condemnation of these attacks against the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and reiterated its complete rejection of any actions that would destabilise the security of the GCC countries or threaten the safety of their people. He noted that Pakistan is harnessing its full diplomatic weight to compel Iran to cease its attacks, reduce tensions, and return to the diplomatic track, and that it is in contact with friendly and brotherly countries to push in this direction.

For his part, His Excellency the Secretary-General affirmed that the Gulf-Pakistani relations are not a product of the current circumstances, but rather built on historical sanctity, and that the Pakistani position supporting the security and stability of the GCC countries is based on these strong historical and fraternal relations.

Both sides have also stressed the need for an immediate halt to Iranian military actions against the GCC countries and a cessation of all forms of escalation that could destabilise security and stability in the region, emphasising the importance of respecting the principles of international law and the UN Charter, in order to preserve the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity and safeguard the security and stability of the region.

Amidst the US-Israel joint attack on Iran, it is noteworthy that, Pakistan and the Gulf countries have historically maintained close ties defined by three key elements:

• The first is an economic relationship, including the presence of a large Pakistani workforce whose remittances serve as a critical foreign exchange source for Pakistan.

• The second is a military and intelligence cooperation relationship that also includes training and security partnership.

• The third, is the political relationship, based on shared membership of the Islamic community, which underpins the first two elements.

In recent years, however, Pakistan is struggling to come to terms with the reality that new leadership in some of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, relies less on ideological or emotional sentiments of the past and stresses more on pragmatic policies that promote their national interests.

Moreover, Pakistan’s weakening economy, chronic political instability and internal security challenges coupled with the rise of a new more pragmatic, less ideological, Gulf leadership has changed the dynamics. Moreover, changing geopolitics marked by the rise of India and China, has had an impact on how Gulf countries view South Asia.

While large numbers of Pakistani troops were stationed in some Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, in the past, that commitment seems to have ended. Pakistan’s inability to actively deploy troops in the Yemen conflict led to misunderstandings with major GCC countries. Apart from historical and above identified factors, Maverick News 30 could envisage that Pakistan’s perennial political and economic instability, its perceived association with extremist Islamism, and differences between its military and civilian leaders, as well as the confrontation among politicians, has also been a contributory factor in diminution of once flourishing ties. Gulf countries have been asked to take sides and play a role in Pakistan’s domestic conflicts, which they are reluctant to do.

Further, Pakistan watches every incremental step in GCC-India relations with serious concern and tends to see it as Pakistan’s loss. In reality, the GCC countries do not subscribe to Pakistan’s India-centric foreign and security policies.

In the last decade or so, however, there has been a reorientation in the policies followed by the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These countries are less ideological and more pragmatic in their foreign, economic and security policies. This, along with other factors like India’s robust diplomatic role in championing BRICS and the Global South, have resulted in stronger economic and strategic relations between the Gulf countries and India. Although initially viewed as troubling by Pakistan, this reorientation has not diminished close ties between Pakistan and the GCC countries.

For Pakistan, the Gulf countries remain its friends of last resort. The 2022 American withdrawal from Afghanistan has led Pakistan to turn ever more to China and the Gulf countries as a source of investment. Pakistani workers in the Gulf region have been a major source of foreign currency remittances since the 1970s. While Pakistan remains heavily dependent on the Gulf countries on the economic front, there has been a change over the last few decades in how these countries view their economic and security ties with Pakistan. But recalibration of relations has not diminished Pakistan’s significance as a partner for Gulf countries. Pakistanis remain an important part of the workforce in all GCC member states and exchanges of high-level visits occurs frequently.

While the nature of relations between Pakistan and the Gulf countries have evolved over eight decades, the warmth between the peoples and governments has been consistent over the decades.

Team Maverick.