The recently concluded Jinnah-XIII counter-terrorism exercises between Pakistani and Turkish special forces provide another glimpse of the increasing convergence of interest in relations between Ankara and Islamabad. These close ties were instrumental in the May 2025 clashes between Pakistan and India, where Türkiye’s overt support for Pakistan did not go well in New Delhi. Türkiye’s backing was not only lip service, but it was also actually materialized through the use of Turkish defense equipment from the Pakistani side and an open diplomatic push from Ankara in support of Pakistan. This close partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye is neither a knee-jerk reaction to the changing global situation nor solely based on the Muslim identity of both nations or positive domestic perceptions prevalent on both sides. If one keeps a close eye on the relations, one will realize that these relations and the open support of both sides are due to the convergence of interests between both sides across the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea, dating back to 1947.

The alignment of interests dates back to the Cold War, when both sides sided with the US-led West in the war against communism. This led to the entry of Islamabad and Ankara into the Baghdad Pact of 1955, which was later changed into the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). This was further capitalized in the regional framework in the form of........

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