“Reshaping in the Middle East is inevitable. In fact, the potential reshaping has already begun,” says defence analyst Dr Ayesha Siddiqa in a podcast focused on Pakistan’s evolving role in the ongoing Middle East crisis. Pervaiz Alam, broadcaster at Cine Ink podcast series, London Vārta: New World Order, is in conversation with Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, Senior Fellow in War Studies at King’s College London. Unravelling the mystery surrounding Pakistan’s newly found warm relationship with the United States, she says: “The relations between Pakistan and the United States began to improve after Operation Sindoor.” She explains that Pakistan’s narrative was that it had won the war, pushed back against India, and shot down Indian Air Force planes. The perception in the White House was that Pakistan had performed comparatively better than India. What followed was that Pakistani leaders began embracing Donald Trump. Discussing the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, she notes that she has spent some time trying to ascertain its contents, as the details provided by both countries remain sketchy. According to her sources, Pakistan’s diplomats were reluctant to sign the agreement. They were concerned that it would increase factionalism in the Middle East. “Iran is Saudi Arabia’s enemy number one. The agreement was signed primarily in view of the security threats faced by Saudi Arabia, rather than those faced by Pakistan” Dr Siddiqa said. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, author and political scientist, is currently working as senior fellow, department of War Studies, King’s College, London. Earlier, she was a research associate at the Center for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, University of London Her focus of studies has been on defence decision-making, defence economics, arms procurement and production, and revolution in military affairs (RMA) in South Asia. Dr. Siddiqa was also a fellow at St Antony’s college, Oxford. Fellow at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, she also taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University, USA. Ayesha has written two books: (a) Pakistan’s Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99, and (b) Military Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy. She has served as Director Naval Research at the Naval Headquarters, Pakistan. She has an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Punjab, Lahore, and a Ph.D. from King’s College, University of London, UK. Produced by Achala Sharma and Pervaiz Alam, the 10-episode video/audio podcast series, London Vārta: New World Order, is made in London for Hindi/Urdu-speaking global audiences. We delve into the seismic shifts reshaping global politics in 2025–2026. From the latest developments in the Middle East to the fiery street agitations unsettling regimes and emerging new alliances in South Asia, and the resurgence of far-right nationalism in Europe, the London Vārta: New World Order series unravels how populist unrest is redefining global power dynamics.
