Libya Next? How Pakistan Expanded Mediator Role After US-Iran Peace MoU

Pakistan's Libya mediation comes after a $4-billion defence deal with the Libyan National Army and has backing from the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.

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Pakistan is pushing a Libya reunification plan after a major defence pact, Reuters reported.
Photo Source: AP/PTI

Pakistan has quietly begun mediating between Libya's rival eastern and western factions, in a previously unreported effort that could raise Islamabad's diplomatic profile if it succeeds, reported Reuters.

The involvement comes months after Pakistan signed a defence agreement worth over $4 billion with the eastern-based Libyan National Army in December 2025, covering 16 JF-17 fighter jets co-developed with China, 12 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, and provisions for training and potential joint manufacturing.

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Citing two Pakistani sources, the report added that the United States is "fully aware and involved" in Pakistan's role, while Saudi Arabia is also said to be backing the effort, alongside encouragement from Qatar and Turkiye, key supporters of Libya's western administration.

From Iran Mediation To A Libya Reunification Plan

The Libya push follows Pakistan's reported role earlier this year in mediating the Islamabad memorandum of understanding that ended the war between the US and Iran, an effort that has drawn repeated praise from the Trump administration.

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Reuters reported a summary of a proposed "Libya Reunification Plan," which outlines a 36-month transitional power-sharing arrangement under a new Government of National Consensus and Presidential Council.

Under the proposal, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, prime minister of the UN-recognised western Government of National Unity, would continue in his role during the transition, while Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern Libyan National Army, would chair the Presidential Council.

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His father, Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control several of Libya's largest oilfields, would oversee the national budget.

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Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met Saddam Haftar in Rawalpindi last month, days before Haftar travelled to Washington for a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Analysts noted that while Pakistan remains a secondary player in Libya compared with the US, the UAE, Turkiye and Egypt, it has maintained working ties with both rival camps, an advantage some other regional powers lack.

Tarek Megerisi, director at the geopolitical advisory firm Informmi, cautioned that no agreement is guaranteed to hold, pointing to past deals that unravelled despite initial momentum.

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