A new global power realignment is underway and South Asia is no exception.
The growing influence of the Global South and the changing posture of the West are reshaping the politics and priorities of South Asian states. Middle-power countries are asserting themselves in the post-unipolar world order, while Africa, long subjugated, is beginning to resist old structures. These global shifts cannot be ignored, even as the West attempts to resist them.
Pakistan is realigning to address emerging challenges amid a shifting global order. The geo-political lines are clear: the South Bloc led by China and BRICS on one side and the United States and the West on the other. Doctrines, war concepts and strategic thinking are evolving rapidly. The recent Trump–Xi meeting underscores the end of the unipolar world and the rise of a multipolar era. The Global South has established parallel financial institutions and is moving toward de-dollarization, threatening the US-led financial system. Even SWIFT faces potential alternatives, while US industries struggle under shrinking financial space, emerging South Bloc platforms and the looming risk of tariffs.
In South Asia, Pakistan must recalibrate its diplomacy, defence doctrine and military strategy to safeguard national interests, as the old order is no longer viable. Breaking free from the IMF and World Bank is essential. This requires cutting operational and administrative costs, halting cosmetic political projects and limiting bureaucratic control over industry to regulatory oversight, fostering an investment-friendly environment. Reducing taxes and le-vies on gas, electricity and petroleum is critical to lower production costs. Traders and industries struggle under excessive taxation, while pervasive corruption fuels insecurity and fear. To face emerging strategic and financial challenges, Pakistan must eliminate this fear and restore economic resilience.
With the decline of US unipolar dominance, new centres of power have emerged. The South Bloc led by China and supported by BRICS members is challenging the old order. The West-ern strategy of pitching Ukraine against Russia has failed, weakening NATO and unsettling Eastern European states on NATO’s fringes. In the South China Sea, aerial and naval activity by both China and the United States has intensified. Across the Himalayas, China is rapidly expanding its infrastructure—roads, airbases and hydroelectric dams—gaining control over the waters flowing into India’s eastern flank and posing a serious strategic challenge to New Delhi. Despite its defence pact with the United States, India lacks a meaningful or productive role. In both conventional and strategic do-mains, India cannot match China in the emerging high-tech environment; it is decades be-hind. Pakistan-China collaboration and interoperability, therefore, act as a force multiplier on Pakistan’s eastern front.
On the western front, India has activated its proxy—the Taliban—who are showing signs of internal weakness and discord. Their introverted policies are pushing Afghanistan into a blind alley. In an intensely competitive global environment, the Taliban cannot survive with-out adopting internationally acceptable governance. Their administration remains a loose grouping of tribes with diverging objectives, creating deep internal polarization and prompt-ing policies that contradict global norms.
Pakistan now faces the strain of a two-front conflict: India on one side and Afghanistan on the other. This is unlikely to be a short conflict; rather, it will take the shape of prolonged low-intensity warfare. India seeks to weaken Pakistan internally, while the strategic realignment involving Israel brings new security challenges. Sustaining such conflict requires strong economic management. In this context, the Pakistan-Saudi Defence Pact is a force multiplier, although challenges remain. Russian interest in the Middle East is reshaping the regional balance of power, provoking a more aggressive US stance. Israel is pushing the Trump Administration to expand the Abraham Accords and ultimately pursue its vision of a “Greater Israel.”
Rising anti-Israel sentiment among white Americans challenges Israel’s strategic ambitions and underscores the importance of the Pakistan-Saudi Defence Pact. The perception of Israel’s invincibility has been shaken by Yemen’s resilience, supported with Russian Sukhoi-35 jets, drones, missiles and advanced communication systems, altering the military balance in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Hamas has reorganized and re-emerged, with tank battles reported along the Israel–Lebanon border, further isolating Israel and complicating US regional plans. Pakistan, maintaining friendly ties with Russia and Iran, can help ease Saudi anxieties, enhancing the strategic significance of Jiwani Port as a regional watchpoint. Coordinated diplomacy with Iran could also redirect Yemeni focus toward Israel rather than Saudi Arabia, requiring careful strategic management.
Meanwhile, unrelenting terror attacks by the TTP and BLA have created a war-like environment in Pakistan. India, openly supported by Israel, is a catalyst in this campaign. Terrorism, historically used by the Romans and perfected by Genghis Khan, has long served as a tool to weaken adversaries. In the modern era—Vietnam, Cambodia, the Middle East, Afghanis-tan—it has been deployed as a strategic instrument. Pakistan has suffered targeted terror-ism since 2004, with enemies exploiting internal fault lines. India and Israel are major play-ers in this domain.
On South Asia’s eastern flank, the rise of Bangladesh as a new regional power is shifting the subcontinental balance, compelling India to rethink its strategy. However, Bangladesh’s sit-uation remains volatile; the Awami League’s deep roots ensure that political dynamics will remain fluid for some time. India will make every effort to reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape in its favour.
In Pakistan, the volte-face of the Taliban has created a second-front scenario. Strategic realignment is therefore essential—not only in foreign policy but also in warfare concepts, which now encompass aerial, communication, cyber and space domains beyond traditional tactics. Pakistan has successfully integrated these domains, but technology is advancing rapidly. The military must keep pace through organizational reform, restructuring and refined command articulation. The services—Army, Air Force and Navy—must preserve operational independence while functioning cohesively. Their institutional cultures have evolved distinctly over decades, especially at junior levels where operational autonomy is pivotal. Pakistan must prepare—decisively and without delay.
—The author is a Brigadier Retired, a decorated officer with 32 years of active combat experience, 30 years in corporate sector as MD/COO. A column writer, Researcher and TV analyst.
