Libya's Haftar, Pakistan Military Chief Hold Talks on Cooperation

(MENAFN) Pakistan's top military commander hosted Eastern Libya's strongman Khalifa Haftar on Monday, deepening defense cooperation following a multibillion-dollar weapons agreement sealed just weeks earlier.

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's Chief of Defense Staff, received Haftar at military headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to Pakistan's military media wing. The two leaders "exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, with particular focus on security dynamics in respective regions and professional cooperation," the statement confirmed.

Haftar arrived with his son, Lt. Gen. Saddam Khalid Haftar, signaling the strategic weight both nations place on the burgeoning partnership. The talks highlighted "the importance of continued engagement and collaboration" between Islamabad and the Benghazi-based military command.

Pakistan's military chief reaffirmed his nation's "commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Libya," stressing Islamabad's backing for "peace, stability, and institutional development" across the fractured North African state.

This meeting follows Munir's December visit to Benghazi, where discussions centered on expanding defense cooperation through training initiatives, capacity building programs, and joint counterterrorism operations.

Libya's eastern forces described the engagement as occurring "within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations and opening broader horizons for coordination in areas of mutual interest in a manner that serves the interests of both countries."

Khalifa Haftar expressed his "pleasure at the warm reception and welcome, which reflects the depth of relations between the two leaderships and the two brotherly peoples," the eastern forces' statement noted.

International media reported in Dec. 2025 that Munir's Benghazi trip produced an arms deal exceeding $4 billion, negotiated with Saddam Haftar, who serves as deputy commander of the eastern military apparatus.

Libya continues operating under split governance: Prime Minister Dbeibeh commands the western Tripoli-based administration, while the House of Representatives parliament installed Osama Hammad to lead a rival government headquartered in Benghazi, controlling eastern territories and significant southern regions.

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