On Thursday 23 October 2025, the Pakistan COAS Asim Munir concluded an official visit to Egypt. During his visit, he met with top Egyptian military leadership and religious figures. According to Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Public Relations (ISPR), the engagements were aimed at enhancing bilateral defence cooperation and bolstering regional security.
In Cairo, Munir held separate meetings with:
- Abdul Maged Saqar, Egyptian Minister of Defence and Defence Production
- Ahmed Khalifa Fatehi, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The ISPR release a statement in regards saying that the discussions covered “matters of mutual interest, the regional security situation and bilateral defence cooperation”.
During his visit Munir also:
- Was accorded a Guard of Honour upon arrival at the Ministry of Defence in Egypt.
- Laid a floral wreath at the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier and at the grave of former Egyptian President Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat.
- Met with the Grand Imam of Al‑Azhar Al‑Sharif, Ahmed El‑Tayeb, where they discussed the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah, and Munir focusing on eradicating “extremist ideologies”.
Broader Context
Military cooperation, including joint training and exchange of expertise, has been on the agenda for several years. For example, earlier in 2025 the Pakistani Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee visited Cairo and held talks with Egyptian defence leadership.
Pakistan’s has consistently maintained that Egypt is a “brotherly country” and that enhanced cooperation “will not only benefit the peoples of both states but also contribute towards achieving peace and stability in the region.”
Furthermore, this visit comes after Pakistan signed a mutual-defence pact with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 — underlining Islamabad’s efforts to broaden its defence partnerships.
Significance & Implications
Defence collaboration: The meetings signal a desire to upscale military-to-military cooperation, potentially including joint training, defence production partnerships, and enhanced strategic dialogue. The ISPR mentioned training and joint production readiness on this occasion.
Regional security: The open emphasis on regional peace and stability points to shared concerns over security in the Middle East and South Asia. Pakistan and Egypt appear to be aligning more closely on security frameworks beyond bilateral ties.
Religious-diplomatic dimension: The meeting with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar highlights the soft-power and ideological dimension of the visit — linking defence cooperation with efforts to counter what they deem as extremist ideologies and primarily to promote inter-Islamic unity.
Symbolic gestures: The wreath-laying at Egypt’s national memorials underscores the depth of goodwill and symbolic value attached to the visit, reinforcing the “brotherly” rhetoric.
Strategic signalling: Pakistan’s outreach to Egypt alongside its pact with Saudi Arabia — may reflect Islamabad’s attempt to diversify its defence partnerships amid shifting regional dynamics, including influences from the Gulf, Africa, and the broader Muslim world.
Outlook
Joint working groups, technical memoranda of understanding and military exercises could reasonably be expected as next steps.
For Pakistan, stronger ties with Egypt offers an expanded foothold in the Arab world and a partner with a significant military influence in North Africa and the Middle East. For Egypt, enhancing cooperation with Pakistan adds another dimension to its defence diplomacy and opens potential for transfer of training, experience and defence production collaboration.
Agreements that are documented and verified
- Pakistan and Egypt signed a MoU in the defence sector back in January 2018, focused on military training, exercises and defence-production cooperation.
- In February 2023, a MoU was signed between the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the Strategic Studies Centre (Nasser Higher Military Academy) in Egypt, to enhance academic linkages in strategic/military studies.
- A recent meeting in “14th Pakistan-Egypt Military Cooperation Committee” in September 2024 was held where training, exchange visits, co-production of defence equipment were discussed. But there is no explicit public statement of a formal signed treaty from that meeting.
Ambiguity on MoUs
- It is difficult to verify a new and formal MoU specific to “defence cooperation / military production” being signed during or as part of the current visit of Asim Munir to Egypt (October 2025). However, several comments in regards on social media or through media platforms have emphasized “enhancing military cooperation and defence collaboration” but stop short of wording like “signed an agreement” or “entered into an MoU”.
- In an article titled “CJCSC holds high-level defence talks during Egypt visit: ISPR” which was published in The Tribune (Pakistan) on July 31, 2025, there was a mention of General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, holding high profile meetings in Egypt, indicating a possibility of an agreement being signed during his visit.
But it does not provide details of what that agreement is or its scope, or whether it is a fully public MoU or just a memorandum of intent. At the moment, no verified, detailed pact with full public disclosure (such as “Defence Co-Production Agreement between Pakistan and Egypt dated …”) is available to be verified or made publicly accessible nor are there any government press releases from this visit. It may be plausible that an agreement exists but remains yet to be officially announced in the public domain or perhaps the meeting was to formulate a formal agreement rather than finalise one immediately.
More on issues pertaining to Pakistan and Egypt:
Pakistan’s Power Struggle: Old Patterns, New Players: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/pakistans-power-struggle-old-patterns-new-players/
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India’s Strategic Engagement with the Taliban: Realignment and Implications for Pakistan: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/indias-strategic-engagement-with-the-taliban-realignment-and-implications-for-pakistan/
Between Partnership and Antagonism: Pakistan–Taliban Relations since 2021: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/between-partnership-and-antagonism-pakistan-taliban-relations-since-2021/
Policy Analysis: Pakistan–Taliban Relations and the October 2025 Ceasefire — Strategic Fracture or Diplomatic Reset? https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/policy-analysis-pakistan-taliban-relations-and-the-october-2025-ceasefire-strategic-failure-or-diplomatic-reset/
US-Taliban Scrimmage over the Afghan Bagram Air base: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/us-taliban-scrimmage-over-the-afghan-bagram-air-base/
