Date: July 6, 2026 l By Kimberly White
Pakistan has quietly begun mediating between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centres as part of a new push to reunify the divided North African country, according to Pakistani sources, in a diplomatic effort that could significantly raise Islamabad’s regional profile if it succeeds.
The previously unreported mediation role places Pakistan at the centre of a sensitive political process aimed at ending Libya’s years-long institutional split. According to two Pakistani sources cited by Reuters, the effort began late last year after rival Libyan camps sought Islamabad’s involvement, with the United States fully aware of and engaged in the initiative. Saudi Arabia is also backing the effort, the sources said.
Libya has remained fractured since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, with power divided between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by competing foreign allies and armed factions. Numerous attempts at reconciliation have failed over disputes involving control of oil revenues, government appointments, electoral rules and security arrangements.
The latest mediation effort is tied to a proposed “Libya Reunification Plan”, a summary of which was shared with Reuters. Under the proposal, Libya would enter a 36-month transition period under a new structure called the Government of National Consensus and Presidential Council.
According to one Pakistani source, the proposal remains under discussion and has not been finalised. But in its current form, it would keep Abdulhamid Dbeibah, the western-based prime minister of the U.N.-recognised Government of National Unity, in office as prime minister during the transition. It would also elevate Saddam Haftar, the son of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and deputy commander of the Libyan National Army, to the role of chairman of the Presidential Council.
The arrangement would also hand significant budget authority to Khalifa Haftar, whose eastern-based forces control many of Libya’s major oilfields and strategic energy infrastructure. That element is likely to be one of the most politically sensitive parts of the proposed deal, given Libya’s long-running disputes over oil wealth and control of state finances.
Pakistani sources told Reuters that Islamabad would play an “active role” in helping keep the proposed arrangement in place if an agreement is reached, though the exact mechanism for such involvement is still being worked out.
Pakistan’s involvement comes after months of closer engagement with both Libyan camps and amid broader efforts by Islamabad to expand its diplomatic footprint in regional conflicts. Reuters reported that Pakistani army chief Asim Munir met Saddam Haftar in Rawalpindi last month, shortly before Haftar travelled to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Following that meeting, the U.S. State Department said Rubio had welcomed Libyan leaders’ efforts to overcome divisions and reaffirmed Washington’s support for Libyan unification.
Pakistan may not traditionally be seen as a central player in Libya, where countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and others have long competed for influence. But analysts say Islamabad’s value may lie in its ability to maintain working ties with both sides of the Libyan divide at a time when trust among external actors remains limited.
Reuters had previously reported in December that Pakistani officials were pursuing defence ties with eastern Libya’s forces, including potential sales of JF-17 fighter jets and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, despite a United Nations arms embargo. At the same time, a previously unreported document seen by Reuters showed that Libya’s western-based GNU had also sought direct talks with Pakistan.
Two Pakistani sources familiar with the process said Qatar and Turkey, both key backers of the western-based authorities in Tripoli, encouraged Pakistan to take on a mediation role. Their support adds another layer of regional complexity to a process that will likely require balancing the interests of multiple foreign governments as well as Libya’s internal factions.
Analysts caution, however, that any new reunification plan faces steep odds. Previous efforts to forge a lasting settlement in Libya have repeatedly collapsed under the weight of competing military interests, personal rivalries and disputes over access to the country’s oil wealth.
Tarek Megerisi of the geopolitical consultancy Informmi told Reuters that no agreement should be assumed to be durable simply because it is signed, pointing to how quickly other conflict-resolution arrangements in the region have unravelled.
For now, Pakistan’s emerging role marks a notable shift in Libya diplomacy and an indication that new external players are being drawn into efforts to stabilise the fractured state. Whether Islamabad can help bridge the divide between Libya’s rival camps may depend not only on the terms of the proposed power-sharing arrangement, but also on whether the foreign patrons backing both sides are willing to support a settlement rather than undermine it.