Pakistan and its Neighbourhood and the Muslim World
Pakistan sits at the meeting point of South Asia, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia — a location that gives it strategic value but also makes its foreign policy unusually crowded. The two organising pillars of that policy have been managing relations with neighbours and anchoring Pakistan within the Muslim world.
A doctrine, debated in Pakistani strategic literature since the 1980s, that Pakistan seeks friendly governments in Kabul and a wider hinterland to compensate for its narrow geography and to deny India a second front. The doctrine has been formally disowned but informally shapes policy preferences.
India: managed hostility
The Pakistan–India relationship is the single most consequential bilateral file in Islamabad's foreign ministry. Since the Pulwama–Balakot crisis of February 2019 and India's revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, formal ties have been frozen at the chargé d'affaires level.
- Trade has been effectively suspended since 2019.
- Diplomatic representation is reduced; visas are minimal.
- The Line of Control ceasefire of February 2021 has largely held — the only significant positive development.
- Indus Waters Treaty disputes (Ratle, Kishenganga) continue at the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the World Bank's neutral expert process.
The structural drivers of hostility — Kashmir, water sharing, terror accusations, nuclear competition — are unchanged, but each government calibrates the tone differently.
Afghanistan: a complicated neighbour
After the Taliban return to power in August 2021, Pakistan's expected diplomatic dividend never materialised. Three issues have soured ties:
- TTP sanctuaries — The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan operates from across the Durand Line; Islamabad has demanded the Afghan Taliban act against it.
- Refugee returns — Since October 2023 Pakistan has expelled large numbers of undocumented Afghans (the "Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan").
- The Durand Line — The Afghan Taliban have not formally recognised the boundary, and fencing has been contested.
Cross-border air operations by Pakistan in March 2024 against TTP camps in Khost and Paktika marked a sharp escalation.
Iran: cautious neighbour
The 909-km Pakistan–Iran border is policed jointly against Baloch militants on both sides. January 2024 saw an unprecedented exchange — Iranian missile strikes against Jaish al-Adl positions in Pakistan, met within days by Pakistani strikes against BLA/BLF camps in Sistan-Baluchistan. Both sides quickly de-escalated, demonstrating an interest in keeping the relationship functional despite shocks.
Key files: the long-delayed IP gas pipeline, sanctions risk, and Iran's deepening links with Beijing and Moscow that pull it closer to Pakistan's broader strategic circle.
China: the all-weather partnership
The Pakistan-China relationship is described in official rhetoric as "higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the oceans." It has three live components:
| Dimension | Examples |
|---|---|
| Economic | CPEC Phase 2; ML-1 railway upgrade; SEZ industrialisation |
| Security | JF-17 co-production; submarines; counter-terror cooperation |
| Diplomatic | UNSC backing on Kashmir; coordinated voting in multilateral fora |
Recent friction has come from attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan — Dasu, Karachi, and Bisham incidents — which Beijing has linked to demands for tighter security and faster project execution.
The Muslim world
Pakistan's relations with key Muslim states fall into three baskets:
Saudi Arabia and the GCC
The Gulf states host roughly 4 million Pakistani workers, source a large share of remittances, and have historically funded balance-of-payments support. Saudi Arabia announced a USD 5 billion investment commitment under SIFC; the UAE has emerged as a major investor in privatisation and digital infrastructure. Qatar's LNG supply contracts are critical to Pakistan's energy security.
Turkey
Defence cooperation (T-129 helicopter, MILGEM corvette programme), shared positions on Kashmir, and people-to-people warmth make Turkey one of Pakistan's most reliable Muslim partners.
Iran-Saudi balance
Pakistan refused to join the Saudi-led Yemen coalition in April 2015 through a parliamentary resolution, and has since worked to position itself as a mediator. The March 2023 Beijing-brokered Saudi-Iran rapprochement eased pressure on Pakistan's balancing act.
The State shall endeavour to preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic unity, support the common interests of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America…
This is the constitutional basis for what is sometimes called Pakistan's "Muslim-world" diplomacy.
Don't reduce Pakistan's Muslim-world ties to slogans. Examiners reward analysis of trade-offs — for example, balancing Saudi expectations against Iranian sensitivities, or hosting OIC summits while accepting GCC investment with strings.
Themes to follow
- Operationalisation of CPEC 2.0 and security of Chinese workers
- TTP dynamics and Afghan Taliban responses
- Implementation of GCC investment pledges through SIFC
- Re-engagement (or non-engagement) with India after the 2024 elections in both countries
- Pakistan's posture on the Gaza war and the OIC