The Pahalgam incident was not just an accident; it was a deliberate and concocted game to isolate Pakistan by linking it to the cross-border terrorism. However, in the aftermath, Pakistan has emerged as a leading country for the Muslim world and gained relevance in global politics. The Pahalgam incident not just exposed Indian propaganda machinery based on concocted and baseless accusations, but it also allowed Pakistan to emerge as a pivotal country in the South Asian region.  But unfortunately, Pakistan has long been unwillingly trapped in the global narrative of terrorism since 1989.

Pakistan has emerged as a pivotal country in the South Asian region post-Pahalgam, despite Indian propaganda.

Dating back to the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan had no choice but to align with the United States of America. Since that time, for almost four decades, Pakistan has been wrongly viewed as an alleged terrorism supporting state. In reality, Pakistan backed what was a legitimate Afghan Jihad against foreign invasion while defending itself against the potential invasion of Pakistan for warm waters by the Soviets.

After the Soviet was defeated by the United States of America, world became unipolar and the U.S. emerged as a sole super power. However, analysts predicted that the 21^st century would belong to South Asia. So, in this context, China, has become an economic juggernaut.

Due to growing challenges posed by China’s massive industrialization, Russia, and the Muslim world, the U.S. is likely to lose its position as a superpower. In an attempt to counter China’s growing influence on the global stage, the U.S. strategically aligned with India, making it its largest economic and defense partner.

Meanwhile, China started aligning itself with state of Pakistan, given its historic enmity with India since the collapse of the Indian subcontinent. China views Pakistan as a strategic, trustworthy partner both militarily and economically. This strong bond between China and Pakistan is due to the potential emergence of China as a power in the next decade. For Pakistan, this bond means more than a mere partnership where Pakistan is likely to benefit from Chinese technology, military cooperation, and trade investments that can strengthen Pakistan’s economy and military capabilities.

For the sake of Pakistan’s national security, it is essential to make country strong internally, and strategic alignment with China plays a vital role in this. China is not only supporting Pakistan in tackling its economic challenges, through economic projects like CPEC, it is persistently contributing in Pakistan’s defense capabilities by providing military technology, including modern jets and missiles. This growing strategic and military cooperation has elevated Pakistan’s military preparedness and strategic posture witnessed during recent escalation between India and Pakistan.

China remains Pakistan’s most trusted partner, strengthening both its economy and military preparedness.

China’s endless support for Pakistan in both military and economic dimensions became evident in this recent escalation, where Pakistan demonstrated resilience, defense, and strategic patience in response to India’s baseless allegation prompted to isolate Pakistan. The world witnessed Pakistan defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity while upholding regional stability and restraint.

The conflict escalation on May 10 not only marked military success for Pakistan but also demonstrated the effectiveness and dominance of Chinese-made military equipment, a development that has raised concerns in the Oval House. No doubt, Beijing has emerged as a central pillar in both Pakistan’s internal strengthening and external defense, reshaping a new regional order in the South Asia.

The United States, which has long tried to undermine China’s emergence as a global superpower, is now turning its attention to Islamabad. The Oval House now views Pakistan as a state-of-the-art that can potentially help the U.S. in countering Chinese influence in the region. However, Islamabad is wisely engaging both powers, maintaining balanced and careful diplomatic relations between the two gigantic dragons.

This balanced engagement exhibits a bold and clever foreign policy approach from Islamabad. Recently, in June, President-elect Donald Trump hosted a formal lunch for Field Marshal Asim Munir, an unprecedented diplomatic gesture, as it was the first time a U.S. president had formally organized a lunch for a Pakistani General in this manner. This move by Trump has raised concerns in New Delhi as they cannot watch it calmly. New Delhi views this lunch as a decline in U.S.-India relations and growing Pak-US relations after India’s failed foreign policy.

The overall global scenario for Pakistan is highly promising. On one hand, Pakistan is diplomatically engaging with the Oval House, a sole superpower, while on the other hand, it has maintained strong economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing without damaging relations with either side. Despite growing close ties with the Oval House, Pakistan remains principled and clear in its stance, that Pakistan would never accept the occupation of Palestine by Israel.

At the same time, Pakistan tries to engage closely with its brotherly neighbor, Iran, even though the U.S. has long been a strategic rival of Iran since Reza Shah Pehlavi. Despite relational challenges and the complex geopolitical scenario, Pakistan has smartly maintained balanced and nonpartisan diplomacy for the first time. These moves reflect Pakistan’s independent and strategic foreign policy. It is an opportunity for Pakistan to prove itself as a pivotal South Asian state that can shape new global order and alliances, and one that maintains its principles and asserts its position with confidence and defiance.

President Trump’s formal lunch with General Asim Munir signals renewed U.S. interest in Islamabad.

Pakistan should actively and prudently utilize its current diplomatic momentum gained in the aftermath of Pahalgam and May 9, which carries the potential to define Pakistan’s fate for the generations to come. This is the most significant moment in Pakistan’s diplomatic flow to carefully balance the ties with both Beijing and the Oval House, particularly to counter growing Indian influence on the global stage.

Pakistan has a strategic opening to re-establish its ties with the Oval House that has lost confidence in India as a counterweight to China, without disturbing its deep-rooted ties with Beijing, which is regarded as a future superpower.  Growing Indo-Israel nexus could harm Pakistan’s national security interests; hence, aligning with the US will serve Pakistan’s long-term ambitions, including the Kashmir issue, through President Trump, whom Pakistan nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his unwavering efforts in regional stability.

This clever diplomatic strategy should not be viewed as a betrayal of the people of Iran or Palestine. Rather, it reflects a pragmatic and realistic foreign policy approach from Islamabad. In today’s global politics, diplomacy is about prioritizing national interests over emotional narratives; this is exactly what Pakistan is doing right now. The closer ties with the U.S. could help Pakistan address several internal and external issues.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.