The Pakistan federal cabinet has discreetly given the green light to a significant security pact with the US, enabling the procurement of military hardware from Washington. On Wednesday, official sources informed The Express Tribune that the Pakistan cabinet through a circulation summary gave its approval for signing the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CISMOA between Pakistan and the US. 

The US signs the CISMOA with its allies and nations with which it intends to retain close military and defense ties as a foundational agreement. Additionally, it gives the US Department of Defence legal protection in order to guarantee the export of military hardware and equipment to other nations.

However, Pakistan and the US are yet to make official statements on the development.

The CISMOA first was signed between the Joint Staff Headquarters of Pakistan and the US Department of Defence in October 2005 for 15 years. However, the agreement expired in 2020, ANI reported. 

“The CISMOA is a foundational agreement that the US signs with its allies and countries with which it wants to maintain close military and defence ties. It also provides legal cover to the US Department of Defence for ensuring the sale of military equipment and hardware to other countries," the website read. 

Under the new agreement, joint exercises, operations, training, basing, and equipment cooperation have been agreed upon by both Pakistan and the US.

The security pact between Pakistan and the US indicates that the United States might sell some military hardware to Pakistan in the coming years, as per The Express Tribune report. 

In July this year, Pakistan and the United States decided to strengthen their bilateral defence relations. A senior American general and Pakistan's army General Asim Munir met to talk about the state of affairs. They talked about issues of shared interest, the regional security environment, and defence cooperation between the two countries.

“The visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s successes in (the) fight against terrorism and Pakistan’s continued efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region," the statement said.

Despite this development, security experts and analysts downplay the likelihood of Pakistan extensively buying military hardware from the US. They argue that the long-term interests of Washington and Islamabad are not entirely aligned. However, both nations recognize the importance of each other in certain critical areas, making the agreement mutually beneficial.

One major concern surrounding this development is the secrecy maintained throughout the process. Additionally, the US-Pakistan alliance and the reaction of the Taliban regime in Kabul and various militant groups operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border pose further challenges.

Image source: PID