On Thursday, 8 October, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister acknowledged that Bahrain’s so-called National Guard had employed 1,800 Pakistani security personnel, including 30 retired officers, in addition to 50 personnel who had joined Bahrain’s Coast Guard.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Rashid Al Zayani, paid an extensive visit to Pakistan on 8 October, during which he met with the Pakistani president and prime minister. He also held a press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, following a closed-door meeting marking the third session of the joint ministerial committee between the two countries.
During the press conference, which was broadcast live on Pakistani television, Dar thanked the Al Khalifa regime for employing Pakistani soldiers, saying that they “are doing a great job, demonstrate a high level of discipline, and know that they belong to the best army in the world,” according to his remarks.
This contradicts testimonies and human rights reports that have documented the mistreatment of prisoners in Bahrain by Pakistani mercenaries, as well as their participation in suppressing protesters and killing some of them. Dar revealed that 13 Pakistani officers and 37 soldiers had joined Bahrain’s Coast Guard under an agreement signed by the two sides on 24 June.
Experts maintain that these official figures account only for the mercenaries recently sent to Bahrain in the context of the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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Al Zayani concluded his visit to Pakistan with a meeting with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir. Analysts say that security and defence cooperation has long been a cornerstone of relations between the Al Khalifa family and Pakistan, and that this cooperation has intensified amid the Al Khalifa family’s existential concerns over the repercussions of the war on Iran.
Sources indicate that Pakistan’s participation in the “Mecca Alliance,” alongside Türkiye, has opened up new channels for deploying Pakistani mercenaries to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, alongside Syrian mercenaries. Sources have also confirmed the presence of a number of Syrian mercenaries in Yemen, where they are reportedly fighting alongside mercenaries affiliated with the Al Saud family.
Although several reports have documented the presence of Pakistani mercenaries within Bahrain’s security and military institutions, the Pakistani minister’s statement points to an increase in their numbers and an expansion of the duties they perform on behalf of the regime. This is particularly significant given that Bahrain is home to a Pakistani community of more than 134,000 people working across various sectors. Bahraini citizens have long complained about the community’s social impact and competition for public services.
