Pakistan in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
In September 2026, Pakistan's politics were shaped by its role in the Gulf and Iran crisis. Pakistan's Interior Minister visited Tehran on September 21 for talks on regional peace, and Pakistan planned a delegation to ease the deadlock between Iran and the United States. Iran's president said on September 24 that the Islamabad memorandum of understanding remains acceptable and Tehran is ready to take it forward, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan also conveyed Saudi warnings to Iran over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and pressed Tehran to prevent strikes on Saudi territory.
Pakistan's commitments to Saudi Arabia were a second theme. On September 9 Pakistan warned the Houthis that attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate the Mecca pact, under which an attack on one is an attack on all. Sharif told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on September 14 that Pakistan stood in "complete solidarity", and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on September 17 that Pakistan was ready to fulfil its obligations. Pakistan said the pact has "no aggressive element". Military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan were to meet urgently.
Relations with India were the third strand. Modi and Sharif attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on September 1 as Pakistan took the chair. On September 16 the two countries summoned each other's diplomats after a naval collision, and Pakistan extended its ban on Indian aircraft in its airspace until October 24. At the UN General Assembly, India and Pakistan exchanged sharp criticism, and Sharif said on September 25 that any attempt to divert Pakistan's water would be treated as an act of war. India rejected the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission as unacceptable. On September 22 President Trump named Sharif in his UN address.
Domestically, the case of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan continued. His sons raised concerns about his detention, a court barred solitary confinement, and a court ordered passports of 24 PTI leaders blocked. A planned PTI march on Islamabad faced a legal challenge, and supporters of Khan were arrested in a widening crackdown. Pakistan told the UN Security Council it will respond to terror threats from Afghanistan in self-defence.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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