Walking the Geopolitical Tightrope: Pakistan’s Multi-Vector Diplomacy in a Post-Conflict South Asia

One of the major challenges to pursuing a multi-vector approach is the delicate balance in Pakistan’s relationship with the competing regional powers. The consistency in the long-term strategic partnership with China and resetting its engagement with the United States are core elements in Pakistan’s foreign policy matrix. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is pivotal in situating the spectrum of Pakistan-China relations that has expanded from defence to economy, infrastructure and energy. In addition, the 2025 war also became a contestation of Chinese and Western military hardware. It provided the Chinese an opportunity to show the prevalence of their military gear and integrated web of Chinese systems to the world. On the other hand, Pakistan effectively utilised military technology supplied by China and received technical and possible intelligence support during the May 2025 conflict, which greatly improved its operational capabilities. This cooperation not only benefited Pakistan on the battlefield but also provided Pakistan with greater diplomatic leverage by reinforcing the credibility of their strategic partnership with China. This strengthened their bargaining position in regional and international forums and demonstrated the value of the longstanding security relationship between Islamabad and Beijing. In terms of foreign policy, the conflict demonstrated Pakistan’s ability to rely on Chinese political, technological, and strategic support, thereby enhancing their capacity to navigate regional security challenges and present themselves as a resilient actor in the evolving Asian strategic landscape. On the other hand, economic relations between Pakistan and China still need a substantial boost to tap the potential of the CPEC project and strategic partnership. Despite this, Pakistan, since 2025, reignited CPEC 2.0, strengthened its partnership with China with more strategic clarity and also somewhat evolved and supported China’s extended role in the Gulf and Middle East.

The US played an active role in the Pakistan-India conflict in May 2025 through its diplomatic engagement and efforts to facilitate a ceasefire and promote de-escalation. This reflects its continued significant and influential position in the geopolitical landscape of South Asia. Pakistan continues to develop US-Pakistan ties on security, counter-terrorism, climate finance, and economic cooperation, aiming at a multi-vector engagement strategy. The success of Pakistan in the war and explicit endorsement by President Donald Trump were perceptively utilised for nation branding and foreign policy posturing by Pakistan. Consequently, Pakistan effectively played a role in the security framework of West Asia. Pakistan has chosen to maintain a cautious diplomatic neutrality in the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. This approach has elevated Pakistan’s international standing as a responsible member of the international community, known for its constructive efforts in mediation, dialogue, and de-escalation. In addition, Pakistan’s defence agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2025, its extensive shuttle diplomacy with Iran during the crisis, institutional partnership with Kuwait, defence and security cooperation with the UAE, and evolving economic partnership with Qatar reflect Pakistan’s significant role and strategic placement in West Asian security architecture. Pakistan has been able to successfully position itself as an important military training partner through military diplomacy in the Gulf and the Middle East. However, Pakistan needs a robust economic diplomacy model in its foreign policy that can benefit Pakistan in the long term. Another key emerging actor in Pakistan’s foreign policy is Russia. Pakistan-Russia relations have been steadily improving since 2011, albeit at a slow and cautious pace. This upward trajectory of bilateral relationships is significant, but the geopolitical dynamics of the region, Russia’s partnership with India, and the historical position of Pakistan in the Cold War remain strong factors defining their diplomatic engagement. However, the overall diplomatic and economic engagement has significantly increased. Pakistan should continue to develop its partnership with Russia, mainly focusing on the non-traditional factors, including counter-terrorism, food security, and energy instead of any military and defence-related initiatives. In addition, as part of Pakistan’s foreign policy approach of active engagement, on 28^th May 2025, a trilateral summit between Pakistan, Türkiye and Azerbaijan committed to greater diplomatic cooperation. To enhance its influence, Pakistan aims to establish connections with regional power centres through the use of soft power and smart power, which is a beneficial strategy for increasing its influence. In this context, Pakistan must adhere to the evolving multi-vector approach by incorporating the geopolitical and geo-economic paradigm to address persistent economic challenges. The inclusion of a geo-economic paradigm will prioritise regional economic connectivity to boost trade and energy corridors and foreign direct investment (FDI), along with technology transfer and innovation. Central Asian States are an important dimension in Pakistan’s multi-vector foreign policy due to their geopolitical and geo-economic intersection. It can be a source of regional connectivity, energy resources and potential markets. Pakistan needs to be more active in materialising its vision Central Asia approach through the completion of projects and addressing the security issues.

The diplomatic comeback of Pakistan in the post-May 2025 war can be observed on various multilateral forums. Multilateral diplomacy is another factor in Pakistan’s foreign policy that has given Pakistan important leverage to frame itself as a responsible actor. The United Nations features Pakistan as the longest-serving and largest contributor in UN peacekeeping operations. Currently more than 6000 military and police officers are contributing to peacekeeping; however, since 1960, over 235,000 troops have been deployed in 48 missions. Though Pakistan was elected as a non-permanent member of UNSC in 2024 for 2025-2026, its post-2025 active participation and call for dialogue, conflict resolution and diplomacy reinforced Pakistan’s international standing. In addition, Pakistan assumed the role of monthly presidency in July 2025, which enhanced its diplomatic visibility and provided a platform for developing a narrative on peace, conflict, security and dialogue. It was a diplomatic advantage for Pakistan to get this rotation-based seat after the May 2025 war. Pakistan’s participation in major multilateral and regional forums like Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) summit in China on 1^st September 2025, World Governments Summit in Dubai on 10^th February 2025,  the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on 15th September 2025, and  Sharm el Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt on 13^th October 2025 reflected its continuity and expansion in its foreign policy approach. While some of these gatherings convened in response to emerging regional challenges, others were pre-scheduled platforms that provided Pakistan with opportunities to project a proactive, confident, and multidimensional foreign policy approach. Through these engagements, Pakistan sought to strengthen strategic partnerships, advance regional cooperation, and reinforce its role as an active participant in shaping regional and global diplomatic discourse.