ISLAMABAD: Key Pakistani politicians and analysts have hailed Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank and made strong comparisons with Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s recent revocation of Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status.
In a controversial, televised statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu pledged Israel would move to annex Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank if he won a stiffly contested election just a week away. The West Bank was captured by Israel in a 1967 war, but Palestinians, who signed interim peace deals with Israel in the 1990s, seek to make the area part of a future state.
Around 65,000 Palestinians and 11,000 Israeli settlers live in the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea area.
After the announcement, Saudi Arabia has led the call to condemn Netanyahu’s remarks, and described it as “a very dangerous escalation.”
“I must appreciate Saudi Arabia for taking a firm and clear position and denouncing the announcement by Netanyahu. I would also like to commend the immediate (calling) an emergency OIC meeting by Saudi Arabia,” Sehar Kamran, former senator from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, told Arab News, and likened Netanyahu’s annexation plans to Modi’s move in Indian-administered Kashmir in August.
“We see (only) symbolic reactions from the Muslim world on such illegal annexations which has encouraged Netanyahu and Modi to fulfill their dangerous agendas,” she said.
Arab League foreign ministers and the European Union also condemned Netanyahu’s plan, saying it would undermine any chance of progress for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In a statement issued by the Royal Court, Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the level of foreign ministers, “to discuss this issue, develop an urgent plan of action and review the attitudes toward Israel, to address this announcement and take the necessary measures.”
“We welcome the kingdom’s rejection and condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister’s announcement and I think Pakistan should join Saudi Arabia too on this issue in OIC proposed meeting,” Senator Raja Zaffar ul Haq, the leader of the opposition in the Senate from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) said.
US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Israel since taking office, including by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians. Trump also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.
Now, Pakistan’s leading analysts and academics are drawing comparisons between Israel’s annexation plan and India’s abrogation of partial constitutional autonomy for the disputed region of Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan own parts of but claim in full.
“In fact, it is India that has followed Israel’s example by annexing Kashmir. There is a strong similarity between the two annexations. The Muslim world has been silent on the creeping Israeli expansion over the years and a divided house can’t do much,” Pakistani political analyst and author, Zahid Hussain, told Arab News.
“With the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the process of annexation had already started with the tacit support from the Trump administration. Netanyahu just wants to formalize the annexation,” he said.
Lahore-based politics professor Rasul Bakhsh Rais, from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, said the situations in the West Bank and Kashmir were similar.
“In both cases, Muslim majority areas have been annexed by an occupying state. Both are attempting to fragment the native populations by gerrymandering geography,” he said.
On August 5th, India flooded its part of Muslim majority Kashmir valley with troops and imposed a complete curfew and communications lockdown, as Prime Minister Modi withdrew special rights for the region.
Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had pushed for radical political change in Kashmir even before he won re-election in May, saying its laws hindered integration with the rest of India.
Pakistani leaders laud Saudi stand on Netanyahu’s annex pledge, draw Kashmir parallels
Pakistani leaders laud Saudi stand on Netanyahu’s annex pledge, draw Kashmir parallels
- Saudi Arabia called emergency OIC meeting of foreign ministers after Netanyahu’s post-election pledge to annex Jordan Valley
- India has followed Israel’s example by annexing Kashmir, analyst says
US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025
- US chargé d’affaires links rising trade to deeper economic engagement with Pakistan
- Visit comes amid broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties
ISLAMABAD: Trade between the United States and Pakistan is projected to exceed $8 billion in 2025, the US Embassy said on Tuesday, as Washington signaled confidence in Pakistan’s export base and economic potential during a high-profile visit to the industrial city of Sialkot.
The projection was highlighted by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker during meetings with Pakistani exporters and business leaders, underlining the importance Washington places on trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation as the two countries seek to stabilize and expand their economic relationship.
“Highlighting the growth in trade between the United States and Pakistan, which was projected to reach over $8 billion in 2025, Baker said, ‘Expanding trade reflects a strong foundation that highlights the positive impact of US economic engagement in Pakistan and globally. The United States and Pakistan are pursuing a fair and balanced trade relationship that creates prosperity for both our nations’,” the US embassy said in a statement.
The envoy said the United States had been Pakistan’s largest export market and a leading investor, presenting significant opportunities for expanded trade and shared prosperity.
“The United States remains deeply invested in Pakistan and its people,” Baker said, “building on a partnership that dates back to Pakistan’s independence and continues to grow through trade, innovation, education, and cultural exchange.”
The visit comes amid a broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties under US President Donald Trump’s second term, after years of uneven engagement. Since mid-2025, the two sides have stepped up diplomatic contacts, including meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s military leadership and US officials, alongside discussions on trade, minerals, security cooperation and regional stability.
Pakistan has also sought to re-energize economic diplomacy with Washington as it works to boost exports, attract foreign investment and stabilize its economy under an IMF-backed reform program.
In July 2025, the two countries agreed to a bilateral trade deal that included reciprocal tariff reductions and frameworks for US investment in Pakistan’s energy and mineral sectors, a step Islamabad has hailed as opening new avenues for economic collaboration.
During her visit, Baker toured leading exporters including Forward Sports, First American Corporation (FAC) and CA Sports, companies that are deeply embedded in global supply chains. The embassy said nearly 70 percent of FAC’s exports go to the United States, illustrating sustained US consumer demand for Pakistani-made goods.
Baker also visited Sialkot International Airport and met with the leadership of AirSial, highlighting private-sector-led infrastructure and logistics as key to Pakistan’s export growth.
