Pakistan, US to sign new security pact; will Islamabad get American arms?

After years of de facto estrangement, Pakistan has approved a new security pact with the US to mark a fresh start in bilateral military relations which took a huge hit over Afghanistan.

The Pakistani cabinet has approved the signing of the security pact, which could open avenues for Islamabad to get military hardware from Washington, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Thursday.

The cabinet gave its approval to the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement or CIS-MOA between Pakistan and the US, the daily said.

Also read: India hits out at Pakistan for raking up Kashmir issue at UN

Neither Washington nor Islamabad has official commented on the development, which came days after Pakistan and the US agreed to further enhance their bilateral relations including in the defence field.

That pledge was made after a meeting between US Central Command chief General Michael Erik Kurilla and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.

CIS-MOA

CIS-MOA is a foundational agreement the US signs with allies and countries with which it wants to maintain close military and defence ties.

It covers joint exercises, operations, training, basing and equipment.

It also provides legal cover to the US Department of Defence for ensuring the sale of military equipment and hardware to other countries.

The agreement, first signed between the two countries in October 2005 for 15 years, expired in 2020.

The signing of the CIS-MOA indicates the US might sell some military hardware to Pakistan in coming years, a source in Washington was quoted as saying.

Also read: Pakistan PM slams Biden’s ‘most dangerous nation’ comment

However, a retired senior Army officer said it was not easy for Pakistan to buy military hardware from the US despite this agreement.

India factor

Referring to the growing strategic ties between the US and India, the officer said Washington’s long-term interests were not aligned with Islamabad.

Nevertheless, the US needs Pakistan in some critical regions, and hence this agreement serves the purpose of both, he said.

Pakistan was once a major recipient of military and security assistance from the US, which later sought closer cooperation with India to counter China.

Also read: Afghanistan’s quick collapse a tragic fallout of Pakistan’s duplicity

Pakistan-US ties came under strain due to differences over Afghanistan.

The situation has improved since a new government took over in April last year in Pakistan.

(With inputs from agencies)