Washington, April 25: A damning new report has labelled Pakistan an "extremely problematic partner" for the United States, arguing that Islamabad's Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status deserves urgent reconsideration given its persistent pattern of undermining American strategic interests. Published in American Thinker, the report concludes that despite decades of political, economic, and military engagement, Pakistan has repeatedly failed to act as a reliable or impartial ally for Washington.

Pakistan's Deepening Ties With Washington Mask a Troubling Reality

The report acknowledges that the Trump administration has recently moved to strengthen relations with Islamabad, pointing to Pakistan's MNNA designation — a status that grants privileged access to US military cooperation and equipment. In a striking display of renewed engagement, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir — described in the report as "the real leader of Pakistan" — visited the White House twice within a short period during the summer of 2025.

Beyond military ties, the United States has also expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan in emerging sectors, including the cryptocurrency industry. Pakistan's participation in the 'Board of Peace' has further elevated its international profile, lending it a veneer of diplomatic credibility that the report argues is undeserved.

Hamas Links and Anti-Israel Activity on Pakistani Soil

The report directly challenges Pakistan's credibility as a neutral intermediary, particularly in the context of the US-Iran conflict. Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Islamabad allowed Hamas representatives to operate freely within its borders, participate in public events, and forge ties with local extremist networks.

Naji Zaheer, identified as the current special representative of Hamas in Pakistan, was reportedly invited as a guest of honour at major events and has become a regular presence at anti-Israel rallies and conferences across the country. Critically, Zaheer has been documented sharing platforms with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) — both designated as terrorist organisations by the United States and linked to deadly attacks on India.

This is not an isolated incident. It reflects a consistent pattern of Pakistan providing institutional space to groups that openly oppose US allies and interests — a pattern that stretches back decades and has previously strained US-Pakistan relations, most notably after the 2011 discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

Pakistan's Pro-Iran Tilt During the 12-Day War of 2025

The report's most pointed criticism concerns Pakistan's conduct during the June 2025 12-Day War — a direct military clash between Iran and a coalition of Israel and the United States. Rather than maintaining neutrality, Islamabad adopted a posture openly supportive of Tehran, a stance that the report argues fundamentally contradicts its obligations as a US Major Non-NATO Ally.

The pro-Iran alignment continued into 2026. On January 24, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly thanked Pakistan for backing Tehran at the UN Human Rights Council, after Islamabad voted against a resolution seeking to expand an international investigation into Iran's violent crackdown on domestic protests.

Earlier, following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences and described Khamenei's death as a "martyrdom" — extending solidarity with the Iranian people in their "hour of grief and sorrow." The language was striking in its ideological alignment with Tehran and its implicit rebuke of Washington.

Strategic Contradictions Washington Can No Longer Ignore

The report's conclusion is unambiguous: "Pakistan's conduct reflects a consistent pattern of prioritising regional and ideological ties with Tehran over its strategic commitments to Washington." These are not aberrations — they are a deliberate foreign policy posture that exploits American goodwill while hedging toward adversaries.

This raises a fundamental question about the value of Pakistan's MNNA status. Historically, the designation was intended to reward partners who share US strategic objectives. Critics argue that continuing to extend these privileges to Islamabad — in the face of documented support for Hamas operatives, alignment with Iran, and tolerance of US-designated terror groups — sends a deeply contradictory signal to genuine American allies across the region, including India.

The broader implication is significant: if Washington continues to treat Pakistan as a trusted partner despite this evidence, it risks undermining its own credibility as a strategic guarantor — particularly at a moment when US influence in South Asia is being actively contested by China, which maintains an all-weather alliance with Islamabad.

As geopolitical pressures intensify across South Asia and the Middle East, the US Congress and State Department are expected to face increasing pressure to formally review Pakistan's MNNA designation — a decision that could reshape the strategic architecture of the region for years to come.