In phone call with Kuwaiti FM, DPM Dar urges adherence to Islamabad MoU

• Kuwait FM makes phone call to DPM Dar.
• Both leaders discuss fresh developments in ME.
• Kuwait FM hopes all sides will exercise restraint.
  

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Saturday underlined the importance of upholding ceasefire commitments under the Islamabad MoU and avoiding any actions that could further escalate tensions in the Middle East.

The DPM made the remarks during a phone call from Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Kuwaiti, read a statement issued by a Foreign Office spokesperson.

The two leaders discussed the latest developments in the region.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah shared Kuwait’s serious concerns regarding the continued attacks on its territory and expressed hope that restraint would be exercised by all sides and that the Islamabad MoU would be fully implemented.

He also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive and mediatory role in promoting dialogue and regional stability.

The DPM underscored the urgent need for de-escalation, stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, and emphasised that maintaining regional peace and security must remain the foremost priority.

The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact on matters of mutual interest.

The development comes hours after Kuwait accused Iran of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure in the country, after reporting attacks on an oil facility and a power and water plant.

“The repeated targeting of these vital facilities reveals a systematic hostile approach targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure that endangers the lives and safety of civilians,” said the foreign ministry.

‘Defence agreement’

Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, Reuters reported a day earlier, quoting five sources with knowledge of the talks.

The talks remain at an early stage, all the sources had said, and could still be complicated by heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, said one source.

Reuters reported on Thursday that there were mounting concerns in Islamabad that its mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, signed last year, could draw Pakistan into the US-Iran conflict.

After the Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched an attack on Saudi Arabia on Monday, nuclear-armed Pakistan told Iran it would treat attacks on the KSA as attacks on itself.

Kuwait has had a more limited defence deal with Pakistan for training and joint exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a show of force by Islamabad that would be similar to Pakistan’s pact with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities,” said a Pakistani government official.

It is unclear whether Islamabad is willing to go this far, given that its agreement with Saudi Arabia was the result of a decades-old close alliance with Riyadh.

“Kuwait’s wish list includes everything,” said a security official with knowledge of the talks. “But let me be clear about one thing: We are not and we cannot consider a deployment of combat troops at this stage.”

A Middle Eastern source confirmed that Kuwait has been in conversations with Pakistan, including about defence procurement, but said it was “not clear this will amount to a defence pact per se.”

Reuters spoke to four Pakistani sources and one Middle Eastern source, none of whom was authorised to speak on the record.

Pakistan’s military media wing and Kuwait’s information ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Search for defence alternatives

Pakistan and Gulf states have over the past year seen advantages to striking new regional defence pacts.

Pakistan maintains a large military and produces its own fighter jets. This has made it a possible alternative or addition to US protection among Gulf states, as they have grown more wary about the reliability of the US as an ally.

Pakistan is seen in Kuwait as a safe bet, said a source in the Middle East familiar with Kuwait’s security planning.

“They are already in with the Saudis, they have a long history of defence development, they have a good relationship with the Americans, so it’s not as sensitive as some other options,” the source said.

Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been preparing a draft agreement for a mutual defence pact, separate to the one Islamabad has with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Bahrain is interested in a similar pact, one source said, and Jordan has expressed interest in a weapons and training deal, three sources said.