Diplomatic optics don’t usually favour countries still dancing around the possibility of sovereign default. And yet here we are — on an IMF lifeline, with next to no foreign exchange cover and a political setup too timid to lead — watching Pakistan make a sustained play on the global stage with more success than many would care to admit.

Just this week, the Chief of Staff of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, Lieutenant General Wang Gang, visited Air Headquarters in Islamabad and praised the Pakistan Air Force’s performance in the recent war with India as “a textbook example of precision, discipline, and courage” in the face of unprovoked aggression.

This came within days of Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House — an unusually high-profile one-on-one between a Pakistani military leader and an American president. Trump praised Pakistan’s efforts to de-escalate the recent war with India and said progress was also being made on the trade front.

The meeting stood in sharp contrast to India’s heavily publicised diplomatic visit a little earlier which climaxed with a photo op with Vice President JD Vance – no White House invite. And the balancing act didn’t end there. China’s warmth and America’s........

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