IHC decision rejecting private hospital treatment for prisoners raises questions: Are there two Pakistans—one for Imran Niazi and another for ordinary prisoners?

DND Report: Once, Robert Fisk, the legendary journalist and writer, said that the “world is not the same as it was before 9/11.” He was right. Similarly, one can say that the “world is not the same as it was before the Indian defeat in the May 2025 Indo-Pak war.”

The trajectory of Pakistan post-Markaz-e-Haq has been unstoppable under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who not only defeated an enemy ten times larger but, through deft and highly effective military diplomacy, has also changed the entire paradigm of military and defence alliances in the Middle East and beyond.

He continues to achieve unprecedented diplomatic successes for Pakistan. Some of Pakistan’s important achievements on the global arena include the Islamabad Talks between Iran and the United States, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which was signed on 17 September 2025 at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Türkiye Joint Defence Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, in Makkah, which empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which seeks to strengthen the collective security of the three states, was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the “Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence” held at Al-Safa Palace.

Now, a high-level delegation from Kuwait, led by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah, Minister of Defence, and accompanied by H.E. Lieutenant General Khalid Darj Saad Al-Shriaan, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kuwait, reached Pakistan and signed the “Protocol Agreement-2026,” for expanding bilateral military cooperation under the Defence Cooperation Agreement-2023.

The agreement was signed during a meeting between Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah, in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan’s Armed Forces will assist Kuwait in training, capacity building, border management, and other mutually agreed areas of defence cooperation.

The delegation, on August 27, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi.

The meeting focused on matters of mutual interest, regional security, and bilateral defence cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing institutional ties and expanding mutually beneficial defence collaboration between the two brotherly countries.

The Kuwaiti delegation appreciated the professionalism, operational excellence, and valuable contributions of the Pakistan Armed Forces towards regional peace and stability.

The engagement reaffirmed the resolve of Pakistan and Kuwait to further consolidate their historic and brotherly relations into a strong, enduring, and mutually beneficial defence partnership, contributing to regional security and stability.

It may be mentioned that the “Protocol Agreement-2026” reflects the deep trust, mutual respect, and shared strategic interests underpinning the longstanding defence relationship between the two brotherly countries. Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen this partnership in support of mutual security and regional peace and stability.