The world has witnessed two weeks of dangerous conflicts that have brought the Middle East to the brink of a wider war. It all began on June 13 with illegitimate attacks by Israel inside Iranian territory, under the pretext that Iran was close to producing nuclear weapons, which Israel perceives as an existential threat.

Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting senior Iranian commanders, nuclear sites, and various civilian and military targets across the country,  triggering a strong Iranian response in the form of barrages of ballistic missiles, rendering the Israeli defense system ineffective and causing extensive damage across the country. This was followed by US attacks on Iranian facilities and an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Qatar.

The “12-day war,” as it is now called, demonstrated how the crisis, fueled by the United States and Israel, threatened to push the entire region toward greater instability.

During these tumultuous days, Pakistan’s response has remained measured: it condemned the Israeli aggression and showed solidarity with Iran, while remaining in line with its national interests and regional stability. As tensions ease, Islamabad finds itself at the center of attention in an evolving geopolitical landscape.

Pakistan has demonstrated considerable diplomatic skills recently. Whether it be the Indo-Pakistani standoff in May, efforts to establish relations with Western capitals through high-level delegation visits, the much-publicized White House lunch in honor of Army Chief Asim Munir, or Pakistan’s nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and  India.

Pakistan is redefining its identity on the global stage. It is not mere symbolism that the country has been re-elected to the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (until 2028) and that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar publicly expressed his solidarity with his Turkish counterpart at the 51st session of the Organization. All these developments point to a diplomatic revival for Pakistan.

Redesigning the  Strategic Map of South Asia

The Pahalgam incident and the ensuing standoff between India and Pakistan appear to be shifting the geopolitical landscape of the region in Pakistan’s favor. Pakistan’s calculated retaliation and subsequent attack destroyed the new model of normality that India was trying to impose in its relations with Pakistan.

The demonstration of military preparedness, discreet nuclear signals, and diplomacy through secret channels proved crucial in pushing the US to intervene diplomatically, despite its initial reluctance. Pakistan’s cautious but firm response prompted the US to resume its traditional role as crisis manager in South Asia. But in all this fiasco, it was Pakistan that emerged as the regional stabilizer. The unexpected turn of events elevated Pakistan’s position both regionally and globally.

In this episode, Pakistan did not pursue a strategy of escalation, but used de-escalation forcefully. This restored Pakistan to its role as a strategic balancer in South Asia, a role that has the potential to shift regional balances without swinging the pendulum too far in the direction of instability.

Between the Gulf and Iran: The Geopolitical Tightrope by Pakistan

Once again, the crisis between Iran and Israel has brought attention back to Pakistan’s role in the region. Iran and Pakistan share a 905 km border. The border with Iran runs through the Chagai district of Balochistan, which not only hosts the resource-rich mines of Riko Deg and Saindak, but is also where Pakistan conducted its nuclear tests in 1998.

Pakistan, Iran’s only nuclear neighbor, is not only geographically adjacent but also geostrategically involved. Pakistan is therefore a material and nuclear buffer between the Middle East and Asia.

Now this equation with Iran makes Pakistan an important player in the current Middle East crisis. Since its inception, Pakistan has sought to balance its relations with Iran and its Gulf rivals. Pakistan and Iran have had an operational and practical relationship, despite occasional friction arising from cross-border militancy, sectarian issues, and rivalry over the strategic port of Chabahar. Pakistan has also forged close ties with the Gulf states, which has allowed it to maintain a difficult but effective balance.

Therefore, Pakistan is mitigating geopolitical turbulence rather than merely reacting to it. A regional stabilizer does just that: it does not take sides in a polarized environment, but rather maintains stability.

Beyond the Pivot State Paradigm

The concept of the Cold War’s pivotal state, i.e., a nation whose allegiance can influence global hostilities, now seems outdated. The year 2025 is characterized by a multifaceted crisis: rivalries between major powers in regional contexts and intra-state and intra-regional conflicts. All of this is happening in parallel.

Pakistan does not fit into this outdated model.

It cannot be a pendulum swinging between Beijing and Washington like a Cold War satellite. Nor does it want to become a client of a single power. Rather, it is maneuvering between two dependencies: on the one hand, economic and security dependence on China, the Gulf states, and Iran; on the other, involvement with the West in diplomatic relations and crisis management.

This gives Pakistan an important diplomatic position on the world stage. It is a necessary element of the geopolitical balance: a country whose behavior, or lack thereof, can change the regional climate, not only in South Asia but also in the Middle East.

A Country the World Cannot Ignore

Whether it is the nuclear thorns of South Asia, tensions between Iran, Israel, and the Gulf states, or the strategic rivalry between China and the United States, Pakistan has emerged as a stabilizing factor in an extremely unstable world. Its growing importance is based neither on dependence on the West nor on adherence to Eastern ideologies, but on its geostrategic maturity and its ability to manage crises.

Therefore, Pakistan is not seeking attention; the world is once again forced to look in its direction, not because of war, but because of what might happen if it were excluded from the equation. Indeed, Pakistan’s current relevance on the global stage points to a truth: Pakistan remains too central, too nuclear, and too connected to be ignored.

Author: Qurat-UL-Ain Shabbir – PhD scholar and gold medalist in MPhil from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. She is a research officer at CISS AJK with expertise in comprehensive security.

(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).