Islamic NATO on agenda? Trump to host 'select Islamic leaders' on Tuesday, Pakistan’s ambitions under scrutiny

Ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump has organised a high-profile meeting which will see participation from a select group of Arab and Muslim leaders for closed-door talks on regional security and Gaza war, reports Axios.

Leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, along with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, are said to have been invited for the Tuesday meeting.

Islamabad has officially confirmed Sharif’s participation. In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that Sharif will attend “a meeting of select Islamic leaders with US President Trump to exchange views on issues pertaining to regional and international peace and security.”

Notably, the meeting comes less than a week before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds talks with Trump in Washington on September 29. The Gaza conflict has escalated dramatically over the past two years, claiming more than 60,000 Palestinian lives. Amid the humanitarian crisis, several Western countries, including Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, recently announced recognition of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has rejected these moves outright, stating that such recognition “will not happen.”

Gaza War and the agenda for Arab leaders

The meeting is reported to discuss about providing a forum where Arab and Muslim leaders can discuss a coordinated post-war plan for Gaza. According to officials familiar with the planning, as quoted by Axios, Washington wants these countries to take an active role in stabilising Gaza once hostilities cease, including possibly contributing troops to a multinational force that would replace Israeli forces.

Arab leaders, however, are expected to urge Trump to pressure Israel to halt its military operations and to abandon any plans to annex parts of the West Bank. The stakes are particularly high for the UAE, which has warned that Israeli annexation could unravel the Abraham Accords, the landmark agreements normalising relations between Israel and several Arab nations.

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Complicating the situation is the Israeli airstrike on Doha, Qatar, on September 9, which targeted Hamas leaders. This was the first-ever Israeli attack on the territory of a Gulf nation. Qatar immediately called an emergency joint summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on September 15. More than 40 countries participated, including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The summit condemned Israel’s actions, framing the strike as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty. The joint communique urged “all states to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.” Several leaders used their speeches to push for stronger security cooperation, including the idea of a NATO-style alliance for the Muslim world.

Pakistan and the Islamic NATO debate

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi proposed reviving a collective defence arrangement similar to NATO, suggesting that an attack on one Arab or Islamic nation should be treated as an attack on all member states. El-Sisi said his country could deploy 20,000 troops immediately, encouraging contributions from other nations. Iran supported a more explicitly religious version, while Egypt and several Arab states preferred a regional Arab framework.

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For Pakistan, this development is particularly significant. Experts believe that Pakistan’s powerful Army Chief Asim Munir envisions the country taking a leadership role in such an alliance. Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority nation with nuclear weapons, which positions it uniquely within the Muslim world’s security architecture.

The idea of an Islamic NATO has been under discussion for years but gained momentum after the Doha strike. Leaders debated pooling military and strategic resources to protect their nations from external threats. Pakistan’s inclusion in Tuesday’s UNGA meeting, alongside major Gulf powers, is being viewed as a sign of Islamabad’s improving ties with Washington. However, analysts caution that Pakistan’s ambition in the proposed alliance reflects its desire to expand influence rather than a genuine commitment to collective security.

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia pact: First step toward a larger alliance?

Days before the UNGA meeting, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia announced a bilateral defence pact stipulating that any attack on one country will be treated as an attack on both. Analysts suggest that this agreement may be a preliminary move toward a broader Arab-Islamic defence coalition. The timing has raised suspicions that Islamabad is attempting to leverage its nuclear capability and regional ties to position itself as a leader, rather than genuinely contributing to a cooperative security framework.

Frustration among Gulf states and Trump’s role

In addition to the main session, Trump is expected to hold a separate meeting with Gulf leaders, including representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The primary agenda will be the Israeli strike on Doha and broader security concerns. Despite Trump’s engagement, many Gulf states remain frustrated with Washington’s perceived support for Israel, believing that the US has not done enough to restrain Israeli military operations or address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Trump has already met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in New York to discuss the Doha incident. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later stated that the United States would not alter its fundamental relationship with Israel, a message that disappointed several Arab leaders.

While the UNGA meeting may discuss regional security and post-war plans for Gaza, Pakistan’s role is being viewed skeptically. Its recent defence pact with Saudi Arabia, coupled with ambitions to lead an Islamic NATO, signals a strategic opportunism rather than a commitment to stabilising the region. Experts argue that Islamabad is attempting to exploit regional instability to enhance its influence, using nuclear capability as leverage. The idea of an Islamic NATO may be on the agenda, but Pakistan’s real intent appears self-serving, raising questions about the country’s credibility in broader Muslim world security efforts.