The recent high-level visits of Pakistan’s top military leadership to the United States ~ first by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and then Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu ~ are signalling a potential shift in South Asia’s strategic landscape. For a region already grappling with volatility, these engage ments may have far-reaching implications.
The United States, which in the past decade consciously dehyphenated its relationships with India and Pakistan, now appears to be recalibrating that balance in a way that risks reviving older fault lines. While this renewed engagement with Pakistan might appear transactional on the surface, its consequences could be destabilising for the entire region. General Munir’s Washington visit, which included a working lunch with President Donald Trump, has seemingly emboldened Pakistan’s military establishment. Munir not only used the platform to advocate for military and economic support but also chose to revive old disputes such as Kashmir. Predictably, he accused India of aggression while turning a blind eye to Pakistan’s long standing complicity in cross-border terrorism.
Despite facing internal political and economic turmoil, Pakistan continues to project itself as a “net regional stabiliser.” Such claims stand in sharp contrast to evidence emerging from Indian intelligence and independent media reports, which indicate that Pakistan is actively rebuilding terror infrastructure destroyed during India’s recent retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor. That operation, launched in response to the brutal Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that killed 26 civilians, targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Since then, Pakistan has shifted tactics ~ moving from large, easily identifiable training centres to smaller, mobile, and technologically enabled terror camps, often hidden deep within forested terrain to evade detection.
From the American perspective, this renewed outreach to Pakistan appears to be guided more by global than regional objectives. Trump reportedly offered Pakistan fifth-generation fighter aircraft, advanced missiles, military aid, and enhanced trade deals. In return, the US sought access to Pakistani military bases and seaports, and a rollback of Islamabad’s strategic intimacy with China and Russia. This echoes Washington’s historical pattern of engaging Pakistan not for the sake of South Asia, but as a tool to pursue broader interests ~ be it in the Gulf, Central Asia, or Southeast Asia. With tensions rising in West Asia and a potential conflict with Iran on the horizon, Pakistan’s geographic position is again proving attractive to US planners. Yet this move is not without significant risks. Pakistan’s track record of duplicity is no secret.
During his first term, Trump himself had openly criticized Pakistan’s double game ~ accepting American aid while sheltering terrorist groups. However, as the US prepared its exit from Afghanistan, it returned to Pakistan out of necessity. A similar dynamic seems to be at play again, but with perhaps even higher stakes. The perception of renewed US-Pakistan closeness could distort the carefully built strategic understanding between India and the US, an equation based not only on mutual interests but on shared democratic values and long-term cooperation in technology and defense. Any suggestion of parity betw – een India and Pakistan undermines India’s regional primacy and emboldens elements within Pakistan who remain hostile to peace.
Pakistan’s dissatisfaction with Chinese military hardware ~ especially after its underwhelming performance during Operation Sindoor ~ is also a key reason behind its current lobbying efforts in Washington. The Chinese-supplied HQ-9P and HQ-16 air defense systems proved ineffective, triggering a renewed interest in Western defense technologies. Reports suggest Pakistan is now aggressively seeking F-16 Block 70 jets, HIMARS rocket systems, and advanced missile platforms from the US. This dual-track diplomacy ~ retaining deep ties with China while courting Washington ~ reflects Pakistan’s highly transactional approach to foreign policy.
It seeks to maximise benefits from both ends while continuing to use proxy terror groups as strategic assets. India, naturally, has serious concerns. A rearmed and politically emboldened Pakistan could adopt a more aggressive stance on the Line of Control or escalate its propaganda and infiltration campaigns in Jammu and Kashmir. General Munir’s rhetoric on Kashmir and his posturing against India show signs of a renewed psychological offensive. India has already responded decisively ~ not only with Operation Sindoor but also through strong diplomatic and economic measures. These included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, halting visa services, closing the Attari land border post, expelling Pakistani diplomats, and banning Pakistani digital media outlets.
These steps indicate India’s unwillingness to tolerate provocation or rely on external mediation in matters of national security. In this context, India must recalibrate its strategic posture. It needs to intensify diplomatic outreach in Washington to caution against a policy that risks emboldening a historically revisionist state. The risk is not merely to India, but to regional stability. Pakistan’s past behaviour makes clear that any military or economic concessions are likely to be misused rather than serve peace. India must also deepen cooperation with its partners in the Indo-Pacific ~ such as Japan, Australia, France, and ASEAN ~ to strengthen alternative alignments and reduce over-reliance on the US as a counterweight to regional threats.
Equally important is strengthening India’s internal security architecture. With Pakistan shifting to decentralised, forest based terror training camps, India will need to invest in next generation surveillance tools, drone countermeasures, and cyber intelligence to detect and neutralise emerging threats. The situation also calls for greater multilateral engagement. India must use global platforms to highlight the gap between Pakistan’s self-declared role as a “regional stabiliser” and its continued support for terrorism. While Pakistan attempts to rewrite its image, India should ensure that the world is reminded of the reality on the ground ~ its use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, its duplicity in counterterrorism narratives, and its consistent efforts to destabilise its neighbours.
The United States may have short-term strategic imperatives, especially regarding Iran and access to critical sea routes. But if this comes at the cost of emboldening a nuclear-armed military establishment in Pakistan that has shown little commitment to reform, the blowback could be severe. Not only would it destabilise South Asia, but it could also undermine de – cades of trust-building between Washington and New Delhi. India must remain vigilant and proactive. The resurgence of US-Pakistan military ties is not yet a full strategic realignment, but it is certainly a trend worth watching. Any policy that rewards duplicity over responsibility risks plunging the region into another cycle of violence and mistrust. South Asia’s fragile stability should not be sacrificed for tactical advantage elsewhere.
(The writer is Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses)