In my last piece https://www.thefridaytimes.com/08-Aug-2026/iran-war-ending-anytime-soon I argued why it is unlikely that the Iran war is going to end anytime soon. It was the same day that the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. That same evening, in an interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBKw2Pwe2Yc, I raised a number of questions regarding the scope and nature of this agreement. My scepticism was based on the fundamental point that all three signatories had different threat perceptions, and it was unlikely that one would want to be drawn into the fight of another. I also argued that a 'tester' would come along to assess the strength and meaningfulness of this agreement.

Houthis struck Saudi oil facilities the next morning, and subsequently Israel struck Turkish bases in Syria on 19 August. I had also voiced my concern about some kind of Indian tester against Pakistan via Afghanistan. But after the US envoy Sergi Gore's controversial statement on Kashmir, this might as well come from the LoC itself.So, the war is not ending. On the contrary, it is expanding horizontally.

In the midst of this, Pakistan's accumulated national debt is touching one hundred trillion rupees. In the remainder of FY 2026–27, Pakistan needs to pay $18 billion in principal, while interest payments are projected at $3.5 billion. Pakistan had also requested a Bilateral Exchange Stabilisation Support Facility worth $10 billion from the US, with a maturity of up to five years. In return, the US envoy made a controversial statement on Kashmir, followed by President Trump issuing a........

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