Pakistan Emerges Winner as Trump Backs Asim Munir

Islamabad(Mudassar Iqbal/Web Desk)-Pakistan regained international attention as a key global player in 2025, following a series of intense military confrontations with India in May, despite continuing political uncertainty and economic strain at home. This assessment was highlighted in analyses published by international publications Foreign Policy and The Diplomat.

According to The Diplomat, the brief but high-intensity four-day conflict marked a turning point for Pakistan’s global standing. The clashes underscored the country’s air power capabilities and helped restore its strategic credibility on the world stage. The analysis noted that the episode demonstrated Pakistan’s armed forces had largely kept pace with India’s military modernisation and, in some areas, successfully countered New Delhi’s advances, even while facing domestic economic challenges.

Trump’s Transactional Diplomacy Elevates Pakistan, Marginalises India

According to The Diplomat, on the western front, Pakistan adopted a tougher posture towards Afghanistan as Islamabad applied sustained pressure to counter the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including cross-border strikes and the suspension of trade.

Foreign Policy reported that Pakistan’s role in the arrest of the mastermind behind a major terror attack on US forces in Afghanistan 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.

According to Foreign Policy, Pakistan’s improving standing in Trump’s eyes has become more striking as it coincides with a visible downturn in US relations with India

According to Foreign Policy, India’s refusal to give Trump credit for brokering a cease-fire with Pakistan after a brief armed conflict between the two neighbours in May, along with Trump’s purported frustration over India’s trade policies and its purchases of Russian oil, has seen New Delhi hit with some of the world’s highest Trump tariffs.

“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.”