In the intricate web of South Asian geopolitics, Pakistan’s foreign policy has long been a high-wire act, balancing the gravitational pulls of superpowers and regional heavyweights. The United States, with its historical role as one of Pakistan’s oldest allies dating back to the Cold War era, has provided military aid, economic packages, and strategic backing during pivotal moments like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Yet, as Donald Trump returns to the White House in 2025, his approach to Islamabad is anything but a continuation of past partnerships. Trump’s expectations extend far beyond mere friendship; they are transactional, demanding tangible returns on investment in a region where US influence is waning amid intensifying rivalry with Beijing. Pakistan, ever the pragmatist, welcomes the overtures — high-profile meetings, potential arms deals, and even flattery in the form of a Nobel Peace Prize nomination — but it is not about to sever its ironclad bond with China. That relationship, forged in mutual strategic necessity and economic interdependence, forms the bedrock of Pakistan’s survival strategy.

No matter how charming the flirtation from Washington, Islamabad’s commitment to Beijing remains unshakeable. The recent thaw in US-Pakistan ties under Trump is a case study in opportunistic diplomacy. Following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in April that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated into a brief but intense border skirmish.

Pakistan’s military, under the firm hand of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir — the alleged mastermind behind the Pahalgam operation — leveraged the crisis to reposition itself on the global stage. Munir, a former intelligence chief with a reputation for hardline tactics, is accused by defectors and analysts of orchestrating the attack to rally domestic support and divert attention from internal economic woes.

His inflammatory rhetoric just days prior, invoking the Two-Nation Theory and framing Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein", served as a clear signal to militant proxies, reigniting a cycle of violence that India has repeatedly linked to Pakistani state elements. In the aftermath, Trump hosted Munir at the White House in June, a........

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