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ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has overseen a sharp recalibration of Washington&rsquo;s South Asia policy, with Pakistan emerging as a renewed strategic partner and India&rsquo;s long-favored position showing signs of strain, according to an opinion piece published by The Washington Times.&nbsp;The article, written by retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Near East and South Asia, says Pakistan has moved &ldquo;from pariah to partner&rdquo; within a year, becoming a pillar of Trump&rsquo;s evolving regional strategy after years of mistrust, diplomatic isolation, and doubts over its counterterrorism commitments.&nbsp;At the start of Trump&rsquo;s second term, US-Pakistan ties were described as cold, with Washington viewing Islamabad as unreliable and overly close to China. The prevailing expectation among Trump advisers was to double down on India, strengthen the Quad, and sideline Pakistan.&nbsp;However, the article argues that concerns about India&rsquo;s domestic politics, civil liberties record, military performance, and diplomatic rigidity gradually undermined confidence in New Delhi as a regional stabilizer. At the same time, discreet counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan began to thaw relations.&nbsp;A turning point came when Trump publicly praised Pakistan&rsquo;s cooperation earlier this year, surprising Washington&rsquo;s policy establishment. According to the article, a &ldquo;virtuous cycle&rdquo; followed, with incremental cooperation leading to deeper engagement and growing trust.&nbsp;The opinion piece highlights Pakistan&rsquo;s military performance during its brief May clash with India as another decisive moment, saying it reshaped perceptions in Washington and restored Pakistan&rsquo;s image as a serious regional actor.&nbsp;The article notes that Trump&rsquo;s role in brokering a ceasefire following the May clash between India and Pakistan further shaped Washington&rsquo;s reassessment. While India was described as dismissive of Trump&rsquo;s involvement, Pakistan publicly welcomed and credited his intervention &mdash; a contrast the piece says resonated strongly with the US president.&nbsp;It also notes the rise of Pakistan&rsquo;s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, as a key interlocutor for the Trump administration. Munir&rsquo;s White House lunch meeting &mdash; the first for a Pakistani military chief &mdash; and subsequent high-level engagements with US military leadership are cited as symbols of the shift.&nbsp;As 2026 approaches, the article says, Pakistan has become central to Trump&rsquo;s broader strategy, offering Washington channels on Iran, the Middle East, and a counterbalance to China&rsquo;s regional influence.&nbsp;&ldquo;The era of India first in Washington has come to an end,&rdquo; the article concludes, while cautioning that the shift may not be permanent and will depend on future choices by both Islamabad and New Delhi.

Foreign Affairs

A Washington Times article highlights Pakistan’s military performance during its brief May clash with India, saying it reshaped perceptions in Washington and restored Pakistan’s image as a serious regional actor.

Trump’s policy shift elevates Pakistan, ends Washington’s India-first approach: Report

ISLAMABAD: In a communication,&nbsp;UN experts have said that India violated the prohibition on the use of force under the UN Charter&nbsp;by taking military action inside Pakistan in May, and sought a response regarding India&#39;s potential human rights violations and its unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. UN Special Rapporteurs and an independent expert, under the Human Rights Council&#39;s mandate, in a Special Procedures communication dated Oct. 16 but released recently, had sought the Indian government&rsquo;s response within 60 days. No such response has been made public so far. &nbsp; Pakistan&rsquo;s call for independent investigationIn their communication, the UN officials strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack and emphasized that those responsible must be brought to justice in accordance with the law.&nbsp; They highlighted that Pakistan had denied any involvement in the incident and consistently called for an independent, transparent, and impartial investigation. They stated that&nbsp;on May 7, India used force within Pakistan&rsquo;s territory under Operation Sindoor and that &ldquo;India did not ... notify the Security Council that its operation was in the exercise of the right of self-defense under article 51 of the United Nations Charter, under the procedures required by that article.&rdquo; In the communication, the experts stated: &quot;We are equally concerned that India did not notify the Security Council of any claim of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter.&rdquo; Lack of credible evidence&nbsp;They further stated: &ldquo;We are concerned that India has not disclosed credible evidence that the militants who committed the Pahalgam attack were sent to attack India by the Government of Pakistan.&rdquo; They highlighted in the communication that, &ldquo;According to Pakistan, civilian areas were struck, including mosques, and a number of civilians were killed and injured.&rdquo; They added: &ldquo;We are concerned that India&rsquo;s response &hellip; appears to have violated the rights to life and security of person, as a result of the unlawful use of force on Pakistan&rsquo;s territory.&rdquo; The experts stated that, &ldquo;As such, it appears that India has violated the prohibition on the use of force under article 2(4) of the Charter&hellip;&rdquo; &ldquo;The unlawful use of force would consequently constitute a violation of the right to life under article 6 of the ICCPR [International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights],&rdquo; they added. The experts stated: &ldquo;There is no separate right to unilaterally use military force in foreign territory in order to counter terrorism.&rdquo; The communication highlights that &ldquo;&hellip;India may itself have committed an armed attack on Pakistan, entitling Pakistan to exercise self-defense under article 51 of the Charter&hellip;&rdquo; &ldquo;The illegal use of force on foreign territory would also constitute a violation of the foreign State&rsquo;s sovereignty and the duty of non-intervention in a foreign State,&rdquo; it says. On the Indus Waters TreatyOn the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty and arbitration, the communication states: &ldquo;India challenged the Court&rsquo;s jurisdiction &hellip; and has refused to participate in the proceedings.&rdquo; The communication states, &ldquo;We are deeply concerned that any disruption of the flow of water to Pakistan &hellip; could severely affect the human rights of millions of people in Pakistan&hellip;&rdquo; The experts ask the Indian government to respond to several questions.&nbsp; They request India to provide additional information on the allegations and clarify whether it will offer reparations and an apology for violations of the right to life from unlawful use of force in Pakistan.&nbsp; It also asks India to explain its commitment to fulfilling obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty without interfering with Pakistan&#39;s rights and the human rights of affected populations.&nbsp; The text seeks clarification on measures to prevent harm to rights related to water, environment, food, and development resulting from Treaty disruptions.&nbsp; It also inquires whether India will peacefully settle Treaty disputes through proper provisions and pursue the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir territorial dispute in accordance with international law and the right of self-determination.&nbsp;The UN experts added: &ldquo;This communication and any response received from your Excellency&rsquo;s Government will be made public via the communications reporting website within 60 days. They will also subsequently be made available in the usual report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.&rdquo;

India

UN Special Rapporteurs and an independent expert under the Human Rights Council's mandate in a Special Procedures communication sought a response from the Indian government.

UN demands India explain use of force on Pakistan, Indus Treaty suspension

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the Pakistan Armed Forces had taught India a lesson for attacking Pakistan in May. He was addressing a ceremony under the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Laptop Scheme at the University of Haripur. Referring to an incident during his speech, the prime minister said he apologized after his gesture caused the microphone to switch off, adding that &ldquo;this very punch was also that of the Pakistan Armed Forces, which taught the Modi government a lesson they will never forget in their lifetime.&rdquo; During the address available on the Pakistan government&rsquo;s official X account, the prime minister announced the establishment of a Daanish School in Haripur, a separate campus for female students, and the construction of a bridge in response to a long-standing public demand.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2001363325385675082&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=9da9a22aca226e1317e9d4532fc77849d4a0c603&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 622px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>He said that plots would be allotted strictly to those entitled to them and that a committee would be formed to ensure transparent decision-making. Targeting growth &nbsp;Prime Minister Sharif said Pakistan&rsquo;s economy, which had been struggling, had, by the grace of Allah, emerged from crisis and was now stable at the macro level.&nbsp; He said the next goal was to spur economic growth, adding that Pakistan would achieve its rightful place in the world, just as it had militarily. He urged the nation to accept challenges collectively and move forward in unity. The prime minister said he did not believe in receiving a guard of honor for himself, stating that the police guard of honor presented at the event was in recognition of the hard work and capability of the people.&nbsp; He said fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to him by Allah would be his legacy. Speaking about beneficiaries of the laptop scheme, Prime Minister Sharif said the recipients included sons of martyrs who had sacrificed their lives to protect millions of the nation&rsquo;s children.&nbsp; He said honoring martyrs was a national duty and warned that those who mocked or insulted them would neither earn respect in this world nor forgiveness from Allah. He said the country faced challenges and that unity among the people would enable Pakistan to regain its lost global economic and social standing. Students to be sent abroad&nbsp;Highlighting the role of youth, the prime minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s progress and prosperity depended on the younger generation.&nbsp; He said that during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab, scholarships and laptops were provided to students across the country, not just in Punjab. He announced that students from across Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, would be sent on merit to Europe and China for advanced training in artificial intelligence. &lsquo;Brave and courageous&rsquo;&nbsp;Prime Minister Sharif said that despite criticism of the laptop scheme, his conscience remained satisfied as 600,000 laptops were distributed transparently on merit.&nbsp; He said students continued their education during the COVID period through these laptops and that many were now earning income and contributing to Pakistan&rsquo;s exports. The prime minister also paid tribute to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, describing them as brave, and said their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism had helped restore peace in the country.&nbsp; He said history would never forget their sacrifices.

Says the next goal is to bring growth into the economy, adding that Pakistan will achieve its rightful place in the world economically, just as it has done militarily; urges the nation to accept challenges collectively.

Articles tagged with "Pakistan-India May Conflict"

Trump’s policy shift elevates Pakistan, ends Washington’s India-first approach: Report

UN demands India explain use of force on Pakistan, Indus Treaty suspension

Prime Minister Sharif chides Indian counterpart for attacking Pakistan