Opinion | US shift towards Pakistan may unsettle India and the South Asia balance

Islamabad welcomes the opportunity to hedge against China but New Delhi may well go looking for other, more reliable partners

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Anti-India demonstrators hold a banner with a portrait of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir in Karachi on May 10. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:30pm, 30 Jun 2025

The recent White House lunch date between Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and US President Donald Trump was a renewal of high-level US-Pakistani engagement that suggested a potential rebalancing of US priorities in South Asia.

The visit, closely watched by stakeholders in South Asia and observers of Washington’s policy on the region, has raised questions about the future of the US-India strategic partnership – particularly as US-China tensions appear to be easing and Trump seems more than eager to strike a deal with China, an “iron brother” of Pakistan.

Yet the significance of the lunch meeting should not be overstated: it signals flexibility, not a complete shift in priorities. It reflects a deal-centric approach that aligns with Trump’s broader foreign policy instincts while introducing risks that could unsettle South Asia’s delicate geopolitical balance.

For one, the meeting – the first time a senior Pakistani official has been hosted in the White House in six years – marks a clear departure from the Biden administration’s approach, which prioritised strengthening ties with India.

Former president Joe Biden’s strategy leaned heavily on India as a counterweight to China, emphasising shared democratic values. In contrast, Trump’s decision to allow Pakistani leadership back into the White House for a visit reflects a return to transactional diplomacy, favouring more immediate economic and strategic interests over ideological alignment.

This approach sends mixed signals to regional partners such as India, which has invested heavily in a US-centric Indo-Pacific strategy in recent years.

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Islamabad welcomes the opportunity to hedge against China but New Delhi may well go looking for other, more reliable partners

Islamabad welcomes the opportunity to hedge against China but New Delhi may well go looking for other, more reliable partners