Pakistan is pretending to be neutral on Iran, but intelligence reports are telling a different story. Is Islamabad playing a dangerous double game by helping the US with everything from airspace to naval intelligence?
New Delhi: Behind Islamabad’s openly neutral policy, there may be a secret military partnership that is changing the equations of West Asia. On one hand, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister is appealing for peace between Tehran and Riyadh, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is calling the American attacks on Iran a violation of international law. But perhaps a completely different story is going on behind the scenes.
allegations of intelligence assistance
In many intelligence reports related to regional security, it is being alleged that Pakistan is providing covert but important military assistance to American operations against Iran. If these rumors circulating on social media are to be believed, this could be one of the biggest incidents of strategic deception in the history of South Asia. These allegations are quite clear. It is being said that Pakistan has provided its airspace for US espionage operations (ISR operations) and deployment of armed surveillance drones like MQ-9B.
It is also alleged that F-16 aircraft of Pakistani Air Force have given active support to the operations of American ships in the Arabian Sea. And perhaps the most explosive claim is that the Pakistani Navy is giving the US military information about the location of Iranian ships, even small boats, located outside its exclusive economic zone, so that they can be targeted.
All this is happening when Pakistan publicly adopts a policy of not getting involved in any dispute and says that dialogue is the only path to peace. Pakistani defense officials have described the claims of American drones passing through Pakistani airspace as ‘completely baseless and misleading’.
Pakistan’s old trick
But those who understand Pakistan’s strategic moves know that denial is its old habit. During the Soviet–Afghan War, Pakistan denied for years that it was the CIA’s main channel for supplying weapons to the Mujahideen. Denying it in front of everyone and supporting secret operations behind the scenes is not a new method of Pakistan. In fact, this has been the old nature of Pakistan.
Technology Connection: F-16 Upgrade
Evidence related to technology also points in this direction. In December 2025, Washington approved a military sale worth $686 million to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16 fleet. This package included the Link-16 Tactical Data Link and Mode 5 IFF cryptographic system.
These are standard warfare tools of NATO countries. These help Pakistani aircraft operate safely and seamlessly in the same airspace with US forces. Questions also arise over its timing, as the deal was struck just a few months before the start of large-scale hostilities in February 2026. Islamabad has not publicly answered these questions.
What is the benefit to Islamabad?
It is not difficult for Pakistan to understand the reason behind this game. Gulf countries, Türkiye and even the United Kingdom refused to allow America to build bases there. In such a situation, Pakistan’s western airspace and the Arabian Sea coast have become extremely valuable for American operations. For Islamabad, this intelligence assistance simply means arms packages, diplomatic clout and regaining the status of America’s most trusted South Asian partner. This status had weakened considerably after the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025 and the growing US-India relations.
The Iran Factor: A Dangerous Bet
But the dangers in this game are equally big. There is a 900 kilometer long border between Pakistan and Iran. Iran has previously shown both its willingness and ability to carry out cross-border attacks, as seen in the January 2024 Iranian missile attack on Balochistan. If Iran became convinced that a neighbor that publicly professes solidarity with it had backstabbed it, it would have many reasons and many ways to seek revenge. For now, Islamabad is wearing the mask of friendship. But this mask is now slowly slipping away.