Kuwait ratifies Pakistan defence deal after three years to deepen Gulf ties

Islamabad,UPDATED: Jul 28, 2026 16:24 IST

Kuwait has ratified a defence cooperation agreement with Pakistan, three years after it was signed, in a move that adds to Islamabad’s efforts to deepen military engagement with Gulf countries, according to a media report.

The agreement was approved and published in Kuwait’s official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm, on Sunday. It will remain in force for five years and will be automatically renewed unless either side decides to withdraw.

The deal sets out a framework for cooperation between the armed forces of Pakistan and Kuwait. According to the Kuwait Times, it covers military training, education, intelligence sharing, logistics, defence technology, research and exchanges of expertise aimed at strengthening institutional military ties.

The report said the agreement also provides for cooperation in military manufacturing, electronic communications systems, scientific research, military media, and cultural and sports activities. A joint military committee will oversee its implementation, including the organisation of military exercises, official visits and other joint programmes.

It added that the ratification follows a series of recent high-level contacts between Kuwaiti and Pakistani military officials aimed at expanding defence coordination. Both countries have also committed to protecting confidential military information and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.

Last year, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a defence agreement under which the two countries agreed to deepen military cooperation through intelligence sharing, joint training, military exercises and defence technology collaboration. Pakistan is also reportedly pursuing broader security arrangements with countries such as Qatar and Turkiye.

According to government sources in Islamabad, Pakistan is also negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investments. “Pakistan is now seeking a defence pact with Kuwait similar to that of Saudi Arabia, including thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities,” one of the sources said.

Pakistan’s defence pact with Saudi Arabia contains an important collective security clause under which an attack on either country would be treated as an attack on both, although officials have not publicly elaborated on its operational scope. The Kuwait ratification marks a formal step in Pakistan’s wider push to expand defence ties in the Gulf.

With PTI Inputs

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