Relationship dossier
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Pakistan
Relationship assessment
Humanitarian cooperation alongside periodic political friction
Kingdom of the Netherlands toward Pakistan
+10The Dutch government has provided humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, including following major flooding. Dutch policy has also included criticism of human-rights and religious-freedom concerns in Pakistan.
Pakistan toward Kingdom of the Netherlands
-5Pakistan’s government protested a proposed 2018 Muhammad-cartoon contest by Dutch politician Geert Wilders and sought action from the Netherlands. The breadth of sustained Pakistani government cooperation with the Netherlands is unclear.
Overall relationship
+5Humanitarian assistance provides a concrete basis for cooperation, while disputes over religious sensitivities and Dutch criticism of rights issues create periodic strain. The relationship does not appear to be a close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Netherlands has provided humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, including support following major flooding, while also raising concerns about human rights and religious freedom. Relations have included notable friction over a proposed 2018 Muhammad-cartoon contest by Dutch politician Geert Wilders: Pakistan’s government protested and sought action from the Netherlands. These episodes suggest limited practical cooperation alongside periodic political tension.
Areas of tension
- Pakistan’s objections to the proposed 2018 Muhammad-cartoon contest by Geert Wilders.
- Dutch criticism of human-rights and religious-freedom issues in Pakistan.
Key developments
Pakistan’s government protested Geert Wilders’ proposed Muhammad-cartoon contest and sought action from the Dutch government; the contest was subsequently cancelled.
The Netherlands provided humanitarian support to Pakistan following major flooding.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and continuity of Dutch humanitarian and development assistance to Pakistan are unclear.
- The extent of sustained Pakistani government cooperation with the Netherlands beyond episodic bilateral disputes is unclear.