Islamabad, December 25,2025: Pakistan re-emerged as a significant player on the global stage in 2025, particularly following intense military clashes with India in May, even as the country continued to face political instability and economic pressures at home, according to analyses published in leading international magazines Foreign Policy and The Diplomat.
According to The Diplomat, the turning point came after a brief but intense four-day military confrontation with India in May, which highlighted Pakistan’s air power capabilities and restored its strategic credibility internationally. The publication noted that the conflict demonstrated Pakistan’s ability to effectively counter India’s military modernisation despite domestic economic challenges.
“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,” The Diplomat observed.
The magazine further reported that the post-conflict period saw a noticeable warming of ties between Islamabad and Washington, while India’s relations with the United States faced growing strain. Pakistan also strengthened defence cooperation in the Middle East, including the formalisation of a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia.
China, meanwhile, welcomed what The Diplomat described as battlefield validation of its defence systems deployed by Pakistan, helping revive momentum for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan’s diplomatic footprint expanded further with its involvement in international discussions on the stabilisation of Gaza, positioning Islamabad to play a more influential regional and global role heading into 2026.
On its western front, Pakistan adopted a tougher posture towards Afghanistan, according to The Diplomat, applying sustained pressure to counter the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Measures reportedly included cross-border strikes and the suspension of trade.
Foreign Policy highlighted Pakistan’s growing diplomatic traction in Washington, noting that Islamabad’s role in the arrest of the mastermind behind a major terror attack on US forces in Afghanistan helped secure early goodwill with US President Donald Trump.
“Our relationship looks good, as good as it has ever been,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, told Foreign Policy earlier this year.
The magazine added that Pakistan’s improving standing with the Trump administration has become more striking as it coincides with a visible downturn in US-India relations. According to Foreign Policy, India’s refusal to credit President Trump for brokering a ceasefire with Pakistan after the May conflict, combined with Washington’s frustration over India’s trade policies and its continued purchases of Russian oil, has contributed to rising tensions.
As a result, India has been hit with some of the highest tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. “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 noted.
