Pakistan, the United States and Multilateral Forums
After the August 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan lost one of the great organising themes of its diplomacy — being a frontline partner in the "War on Terror." Since then Islamabad has been recalibrating two questions at once: what role to play with Washington, and how to extract more from the multilateral institutions to which it belongs.
A relationship organised around specific deliverables — military access, intelligence sharing, financial assistance — rather than long-term strategic alignment. Pakistan-US ties since 2021 are widely described in this language.
The United States
The relationship has narrowed but not collapsed. Three working areas survive:
- Counter-terrorism cooperation — intelligence sharing on Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) and Al-Qaeda remnants.
- F-16 sustainment — a USD 450 million package approved in 2022 keeps the fleet operational.
- Economic engagement — the US Pakistan TIFA dialogue and "Green Alliance" framework on climate and agriculture announced in 2023.
Friction remains on Pakistan's missile programme (US sanctions on entities supporting long-range development in late 2024), Pakistan's IMF reliance, and the wider US tilt toward India through i2U2 and Indo-Pacific frameworks.
The United Nations
Pakistan is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping, with more than 200,000 personnel deployed across 46 missions since 1960. It served on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in 2025-26 — its eighth term, more than any other Asian state. UNSC priorities for Pakistan include:
- Kashmir as the oldest item on the council's agenda
- Climate finance for vulnerable states
- Terror financing and Afghan stability
- Reforming UNGA Resolution 2758 debates and counter-terrorism architecture
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
Headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC is the world's second-largest intergovernmental organisation after the UN, with 57 member states. Pakistan was a founding member at the Rabat Summit of 1969.
| Pakistan's recent uses of OIC | Year |
|---|---|
| Hosted Extraordinary Session on Afghanistan | December 2021 (Islamabad) |
| Hosted 48th Council of Foreign Ministers | March 2022 (Islamabad) |
| Pushed condemnation of India's Article 370 move | 2019–2024 |
| Coordinated positions on Gaza | 2023–2024 |
The OIC has structural weaknesses — consensus rules, no enforcement, divisions between Arab and non-Arab members — that limit how much it can deliver on any specific dispute, including Kashmir and Palestine.
SAARC and the South Asian impasse
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, founded in Dhaka in 1985, has not held a summit since Kathmandu 2014. The planned 2016 Islamabad summit was cancelled after the Uri attack and India's boycott. SAARC's paralysis is a textbook example of how bilateral hostility freezes a regional organisation.
ECO and the SCO
- Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) — Founded in 1985 (successor to RCD of 1964), now has 10 members covering Central Asia, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Real trade integration remains modest at roughly 8 percent of members' total trade.
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — Pakistan became a full member in 2017 alongside India. Pakistan hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government in October 2024 in Islamabad. The SCO offers Pakistan a multilateral platform where China and Russia anchor the agenda — useful when Western capitals turn cold.
GCC and WTO
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Not a member, but Pakistan's strategic partnership with the GCC since 2004 includes a long-pending Free Trade Agreement, signed in principle with GCC ministers in 2023 and awaiting ratification.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) — Pakistan has been a member since 1995. It uses the Dispute Settlement Body sparingly. The Doha Round's collapse and rising tariffs globally have reduced WTO's centrality, but TRIPS flexibilities matter for Pakistan's pharma sector and fisheries subsidy rules for its coastal fleet.
All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state…
This is the clause Pakistan repeatedly invokes against India in Kashmir-related complaints.
For a multilateral question, structure your answer as: mandate, Pakistan's interest, Pakistan's contribution, current frictions, way forward. Avoid encyclopaedia-style listing of member states unless specifically asked.
Reading list of running stories
- US sanctions on Pakistani missile-programme entities (December 2024)
- GCC-Pakistan FTA finalisation
- SAARC revival debate after India's 2024 elections
- SCO connectivity projects involving Gwadar
- Pakistan's UNSC term agenda (2025–26)