India, Jan. 26 -- In a last-minute setback for Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly abandoned its proposal to operate Islamabad International Airport - an arrangement that had been under discussion since August 2025.

This comes after Sheikh Nahyan's three-hour stopover in New Delhi, indicating a ripple effect the visit that made headlines possibly triggered across South Asia's geopolitical landscape, indirectly disadvantaging Pakistan.

The decision was confirmed by Pakistani daily The Express Tribune, which cited sources as saying that the plan appeared to have been dropped as UAE did not identify a local partner to whom operations could be outsourced despite showing initial interest.

Although the Pakistani media report ...