In the volatile theatre of global geopolitics, national fortunes can pivot with dizzying speed. Yet, even by the standards of international relations, Pakistan’s trajectory over the last few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. We have transitioned from the periphery of global isolation, stuck in a diplomatic deep freeze where a sitting U.S. President pointedly ignored Islamabad for four long years to once again emerging as the indispensable linchpin in Middle Eastern and South Asian security. Today, as Islamabad actively mediates between a warring United States and Iran, it is worth examining how we navigated our way back from the wilderness.

To understand the magnitude of this turnaround, one must look back at the era of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Under Imran Khan’s leadership, foreign policy was frequently subordinated to the theatrics of domestic populism. Statecraft was replaced by megaphone diplomacy. The........

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