Pakistan faces hard questions over its role as security guarantor for the Muslim world

Pakistan has long projected itself as a potential security guarantor for Muslim-majority nations, deploying troops and military expertise across the Middle East and beyond. The arrangement has brought diplomatic dividends and vital financial support, particularly from Gulf states.

Yet the question of whether Islamabad can sustain such a role grows more pressing as the country wrestles with severe economic difficulties at home. Critics argue that committing military resources abroad strains a state already under considerable internal pressure.