War clouds are thickening after Israeli strikes on Iran. Threats to regional peace have also multiplied with Israel’s rhetoric against the Iranian nuclear programme. Pakistan, being a neighbour of Iran, cannot remain oblivious of rapidly evolving developments. Pakistan successfully defeated the war frenzy of India in the previous month with jaw-breaking retaliatory strikes and well-measured strategic restraint.
Interestingly, challenges emerging from Operation Sindoor misadventure have transformed into strategic opportunities for Islamabad. The USA tour of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir will be remembered as a significant event against the backdrop of complicated regional developments. The historic meeting between COAS Munir with President Donald Trump is being viewed as an unprecedented move. Leaving aside the speculations, this meeting has strengthened the strategic stature of Pakistan.
Strategic significance
News about the visit of the COAS to the USA was a surprise, especially for those who prefer fabricating speculation-based sensational stories. Tensions between Pakistan and India in the post-Pahalgam military stand-off scenario are still boiling up. War has shifted to a diplomatic battleground. Diplomatic delegations of both India and Pakistan have gone to the countries of interest with their own set of arguments. As usual, India made a dirty move to put Pakistan on the grey list of FATF on the plea of terror financing. This move of the Modi regime was a flop and added another number in a succession of Indian defeats in the military and diplomatic domains. Troubles at the western borders, especially the active presence of all brands of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, continue to endanger regional peace. Roots of terrorism in Balochistan are linked to Indian handlers via proxies based in Afghanistan and Iran. While India made all efforts to accuse Pakistan of terrorism, the positive tone of COAS Asim Munir’s visit has effectively deterred New Delhi’s scheme. The outbreak of war hostilities between Israel and Iran has further brought Pakistan into the limelight as a regional stabiliser.
Substantial strategic achievements
First, Pakistan is emerging as a strong power which can be trusted by global players for restoring peace in war-torn areas. President Trump loudly acknowledged the positive stance of Pakistan’s civil and military leadership in averting war, especially a nuclear outbreak with India.
Second, the unprecedented meeting of military leadership with President Trump and key representatives of the US administration reflects the depth of mutual trust. President Trump minced no words in appreciating the role of Pakistan in counter terrorism operations and peace restoration, especially the recent ceasefire with India.
Third, the peacemaker role of Pakistan in the Israel-Iran conflict is more evident. President Trump has openly praised the insights and vision of Pakistan’s military leadership about the warring sides.
Fourth, this message has gone loud and clear that the nuclear and missile programme of Pakistan is India-specific amid understandable security threats.
Fifth, an effective combo of civil-military diplomacy has flashed Pakistan’s inclination towards peace, geo-economics, regional connectivity, development, crypto ventures, rare earth minerals venture and purposeful conflict resolution through non-violent means.
Sixth, objective advocacy of COAS played a key role in presenting the case of Pakistan before the decision makers of the US administration. The timing of the visit multiplied the impact and countered the Indian false propaganda against Pakistan. While the US president was praising Pakistan’s leadership for responding positively to the appeal for a ceasefire, the Indian government and aligned media once again spewed venom by dismissing the efforts of the US administration.
Conclusion
The emergence of Pakistan as a trustworthy, peace-loving regional power is an encouraging development. Besides maintaining trust-based ties with Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran, now Pakistan is reaching out to ASEAN nations, strengthening strategic cooperation with China, seeking partnerships in the Gulf and resetting relations with the USA, NATO, including the broader Western bloc. Synergy between civil-military leadership is playing a key role in balancing ties with global players pursuing conflicting objectives. Above all, the truth-based stance of Pakistan has dispelled the falsehood of the Indian state.
