Pakistan and Arab World: Security Cooperation

[davidbfpo]

A curious update from RUSI by a Pakistani analyst: 'The Pakistani Army's Defence Diplomacy: More Action, Fewer Word' and sub-titled:

With a renewed defence diplomatic effort in the Gulf and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s army is determined to dispel misconceptions and address allegations made by both adversaries and allies.

Why curious? This passage helps to explain:

Some of the key charges against the country were that Pakistan’s actions did not match its words. Islamabad, critics – including the US – claimed was not ‘coming clean’ about its policies in Afghanistan, that its relationship with the Saudis lacked transparency and that it was pursuing a hostile stance towards Iran.Bajwa, who took over in November 2016 from Sharif, has sought to dispel these claims. Since taking over, he has set his eyes firmly on strengthening Pakistan’s relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Iran, talking straight about Afghanistan to the Americans and not misleading India over false promises of conflict resolution.
His first three foreign visits were to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and he has now announced a forthcoming visit to Tehran.
(Finally) All told, Pakistan’s army is now moving away from its previous stance of purely working in support of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

Link:https://rusi.org/commentary/pakistan...on-fewer-words
This seems to be a diplomatic sequence that aims to please everyone, both Arab nations and Iran. So Pakistan is not committed to really help "when the chips are down".

There are comments on Afghanistan, so they are posted elsewhere.