- Four-day military conflict with India highlights Pakistan’s air power and strategic credibility
- Islamabad strengthens ties with Washington while defence pact with KSA boost regional security cooperation
- China endorses Pakistan’s battlefield use of its defence systems, advancing CPEC Phase II, while active role in Gaza discussions positions Pakistan as influential regional player
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan re-emerged as a key player on the global stage in 2025, with its strategic and military credibility gaining international recognition, even as political instability and economic pressures continued at home.
Analysts in international publications such as Foreign Policy and The Diplomat highlighted Pakistan’s enhanced global profile following intense military clashes with India in May and its active diplomatic engagements in regional and international affairs.
The turning point came during a brief but intense four-day military clash with India in May, which underscored Pakistan’s air power capabilities and reinforced its strategic standing worldwide, according to The Diplomat.
“For militaries across the world, this demonstrated that Pakistan’s armed forces had not only kept pace with India’s military modernisation but, to an extent, effectively countered New Delhi’s advancements despite economic challenges at home,” the publication noted.
Following the confrontation, Islamabad witnessed a noticeable warming of ties with Washington, while New Delhi’s relations with the United States reportedly faced strain. Pakistan also strengthened defence cooperation in the Middle East, formalising a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia.
China welcomed the battlefield validation of its defence systems deployed by Pakistan, a development that also helped revive momentum for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistan further expanded its diplomatic footprint through active involvement in international discussions on Gaza’s stabilisation, positioning Islamabad to play a more influential role in regional and global affairs heading into 2026.
On the western front, Pakistan adopted a tougher posture towards Afghanistan, applying sustained pressure to counter the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including cross-border strikes and the suspension of trade, The Diplomat reported.
Foreign Policy highlighted Pakistan’s role in the arrest of the mastermind behind a major terror attack on US forces in Afghanistan, noting that this has helped Islamabad secure early goodwill with US President Donald Trump. “Our relationship looks good, as good as it has ever been,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, told Foreign Policy earlier this year.
The publication added that Pakistan’s improving standing in Trump’s eyes coincided with a visible downturn in US-India relations. India’s refusal to credit Trump for brokering the cease-fire in May, combined with US frustration over India’s trade policies and purchases of Russian oil, has resulted in some of the world’s highest Trump tariffs for New Delhi.
“But as 50 percent tariffs remain in place and a trade deal remains elusive, those who look at the optics cannot help but concede that they don’t look good,” Foreign Policy observed.
