Pakistan seems to be making great leaps ahead on the diplomatic front. The constant strain on the relation with United States of America (USA) due to not only sidelining Pakistan but also accusing it of not playing its part right in the war on terror, was bound to see a shift in Pakistan’s relation with other allies. Pakistani foreign policy is now geared more towards accommodating the Chinese establishment, rather than constantly proving its innocence to the establishment of the US. In the recent visit of the US diplomat, Alice Wells, to discuss the strategy regarding the Afghan crisis; we witnessed that no concrete solution could be reached and the deadlock between Pakistan and the USA persists.

In the meanwhile, relations with China are reaching new heights due to the cooperation on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the investment of the Chinese in the Pakistani economy otherwise as well. China plays a pivotal role in the politics of the region and is ready to acknowledge Pakistan’s sacrifices for the war on terror. It has closely witnessed the loss of lives in Pakistan and is not ready to overlook all these developments due to the need of a scapegoat for blaming the failures in Afghanistan on.

Another interesting development in the case is the improvement in bilateral ties with Russia. Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa recently visited Moscow to attend meetings between the top military and security leadership of the two countries. The focus of both countries right now is to expand the current military cooperation setup and set up a commission dedicated to the cause. This will focus on both, weapon development and arms trade as well. Cooperation with Russia is important at the time, when the US is not ready to give up its old ways of coercing its allies to uphold its stance.

This recent visit is a proof that Pakistan wants the region to be peaceful and would work on maintaining strong diplomatic ties with countries of the region to ensure that the peace process smoothly moves forward. We have witnessed cooperation with Afghanistan in this matter as well. These developments will provide Pakistan a strong foothold and the support it needs at this crucial time.