PAKISTAN’S power circles are jubilant over their successes in 2025, which stemmed from multiple factors, the most significant being the restoration of trust with the US. Whatever factors compelled the Trump administration to enhance engagement with Pakistan, this shift has altered Pakistan’s regional position primarily in South and West Asia, and partially in Central Asia.

The change in the US attitude towards Pakistan began early this year, even before the May stand-off with India, when American President Donald Trump and Centcom chief Michael Kurilla praised Pakistan’s contribution to the war against terrorism and thanked the country for handing over the mastermind of the Abbey Gate terrorist attack by IS-K to the US.

Here lies Pakistan’s real strength: while engaged in a prolonged war against terrorism and dealing with multiple strands of terrorist groups, including the Taliban, who now rule Afghanistan, the country has gained experience in managing global threats and winning the trust of international partners.

Action against IS-K opened several doors for Pakistan in regional and defence cooperation with many Muslim countries, including the much-discussed Pak-Saudi defence pact. It remains to be seen how far these engagements will go and whether Pakistan can translate them into tangible economic and political gains.

In the absence of authentic official data, research groups rely heavily on open sources.

However, the internal security front has become more critical, as religiously motivated terrorist groups and Baloch sub-national militant organisations continue to thrive, complicating the country’s security challenges.

State institutions responsible........

© Dawn