Washington, Jan 8 (IANS) Although Pakistan enjoys Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the United States, which grants privileged access to military cooperation and equipment, Islamabad has consistently proven to be an unreliable strategic partner, a report highlighted on Thursday.
It added that Pakistan should be viewed not as a dependable ally, but as an extremely problematic partner, warranting serious reconsideration of its MNNA privilege status.
According to a report of the New York-based think tank Gatestone Institute, Pakistan's leadership preference for Iran over the United States — not to mention Israel — underscores why Washington cannot trust Islamabad, especially on issues related to Gaza.
“Pakistan has, to this day, never recognised Israel. Pakistan was also the first country to recognise the Islamic Republic of Iran after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini established it in 1979. Iran had been the first country to recognise Pakistan upon its founding in 1947. Bilateral trade between the neighbouring countries 'stands at around US$2.8 billion’," it stated.
The report stressed that Pakistan officially presents its ties with Iran as one of fraternity and shared regional interests, with considerable convergence in their policy priorities.
“Convergence is their shared approach toward Balochistan, where both governments perceive Baloch political activism as a direct threat to territorial integrity and state authority. In November 2024, the late Major General Hossein Salami, then commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), met with Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir, who oversees operations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The two pledged enhanced cooperation against the Baloch independence movements,” it mentioned.
The report further said, "This alignment is further reinforced by shared economic interests with China. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) constitutes one of the flagship components of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Iran wants integration into BRI and CPEC."
It emphasised that the latest demonstration of Pakistan's alignment with Iran came during the June 2025 12-day war — a direct armed conflict between Iran and a coalition of Israel and the United States. Throughout the conflict, Pakistan stood firmly with Iran, declaring its unequivocal support for Tehran.
Following the war, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made his first foreign trip, visiting Pakistan on August 2-3, 2025. The visit, the report said, was hailed as a major success by officials, think tanks and media in both countries, underscoring ambitions to elevate annual bilateral trade.
“These developments, coming just weeks after a conflict in which the United States and Israel directly attacked Iranian targets, highlight Pakistan's consistent pattern of prioritising regional and ideological ties with Tehran over its strategic commitments to Washington,” it noted.
--IANS
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