An uncertain Pakistan: Munir’s panic run to US and China shows his anxiety

Very recently, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was on an official visit to China. During his stay in Beijing, he held meetings with senior Chinese political and military leadership. A military statement emanating from Pakistan claimed that the Chinese military leadership reiterated full confidence in the strength of the bilateral defence partnership, acknowledging Pakistan’s pivotal role in promoting “regional peace”.

General Munir called on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Their discussions focused on the evolving regional and global political canvas, connectivity initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the need for coordinated responses to address shared geopolitical challenges.

Significantly, both sides expressed satisfaction over the depth of bilateral engagement and avowed their shared commitment to sovereign equality, multilateral cooperation, and long-term regional stability. The Pakistan Army statement further claimed that the Chinese leadership lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces as a cornerstone of resilience and a vital contributor to peace in South Asia. This seems far-fetched and looks only like a ceremonial or ritualistic expression.

The military engagement between both sides included comprehensive exchanges on defence and security cooperation, including counter-terrorism collaboration, joint training, defence modernisation, and enhanced institutional linkages. It also claimed that emphasis was placed on improving operational interoperability and strategic coordination to confront hybrid and transnational threats.

On his part, the COAS appreciated China’s “consistent support” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further expanding military-to-military cooperation across all domains. Munir at Beijing reaffirmed Islamabad’s deep appreciation for Beijing’s consistent support toward its socio-economic development and emphasised the Pakistani military’s resolve to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with China as part of their shared vision for regional peace and prosperity.

However, reliable sources indicate that the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir was under severe pressure when China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the issue rather prominently of the safety and security of the Chinese “personnel, projects, and institutions” in Pakistan. Over the years, several Chinese nationals have been killed in a string of terror attacks in Pakistan. While Munir stressed and claimed that “brotherhood” between Beijing and Islamabad was time-tested and was “solid as a rock”, he, in the same vein, assured Yi that the Pakistani military would take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals.

It may be recalled that in October 2024, a suicide car bombing outside Karachi airport had killed two Chinese engineers, and earlier, in the same year in March, a suicide bombing in northern Pakistan had killed five Chinese workers, which had angered the Chinese leadership, who had expressed serious concern over the killings of the Chinese. This had also put at risk the bilateral ties between the two countries, albeit for some time.

Importantly, this was Munir’s first visit to China after the hostilities with India in May this year. Islamabad is actively pursuing its military diplomacy to bolster strategic regional partnerships and defence alliances to reposition its defence standing. This was further demonstrated by Munir’s visit to the US, as well as his one-on-one lunch with President Donald Trump.

In a separate development related to China, the Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar met with the Chinese Foreign Minister, where both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and promoting regional peace, stability, and development. This shows that Pakistan continues to warm up to China at regular intervals.

Further, in a Pakistan military-related development, Munir on July 26 reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to foster a secure, peaceful, and prosperous regional environment through strategic cooperation and defence diplomacy. As a host, he was addressing the Regional Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Islamabad, bringing together senior military leaders from the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The conference seems to represent a major step in strengthening regional security collaboration, strategic dialogue, and military partnerships.

Organised under the theme “Strengthening Bonds, Securing Peace”, the summit aimed to deepen multilateral cooperation in defence, particularly in counter-terrorism, joint training, and knowledge sharing. Participants were engaged in wide-ranging discussions on regional security trends, the changing geopolitical landscape in Central and South Asia, and the urgent need for coordinated responses to transnational threats.

Welcoming the defence delegations, Munir reiterated Pakistan’s firm “commitment” to peace and regional stability. He underscored the importance of enhanced military-to-military cooperation, mutual trust, and continued strategic dialogue to address emerging hybrid “threats” and ensure collective security.

Analysing the conference, it could be safely interpreted that Munir, with his political and military ambitions, possibly wants to forge an alliance with the Islamic countries’ military leadership in the name of regional peace. He could also be meaning to signal India, his sworn adversary, about his “deepening military cooperation” with the CIS countries. Munir should know that India already enjoys an excellent relationship with these countries that have participated in the conference, and no amount of signalling is likely to work towards his military designs.

Having stepped up its diplomatic outreach, especially post Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 25. Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister arrived in Washington, DC, on July 24 on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the US. He had arrived in New York on July 21 to attend “high-level signature events” of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Presidency, including a conference on Palestine. Discussions were also held on promoting bilateral trade and economic relations and cooperation in important sectors, including investment, agriculture, technology [and] minerals. Counter-terrorism and regional peace were also discussed. Foreign Minister Dar acknowledged the efforts of President Donald Trump and the US leadership in promoting global peace, adding that their role and efforts regarding the recent Pakistan-India tension were “commendable”.

Meanwhile, at the US State Department, Marco Rubio expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s continued willingness to play a constructive role in mediating conversations with Iran and its commitment to preserving regional stability. The two also discussed prospects for deepening bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, including countering Islamic State—Khorasan (Isis—K), and the upcoming US-Pakistan Counter-Terrorism Dialogue in Islamabad scheduled in August this year. Rubio underscored the importance of expanding mutually beneficial bilateral trade and exploring prospects for enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals and mining sectors. Dar was also scheduled to speak at the US think tank, the Atlantic Council, sharing Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global issues as well as the future of Pakistan-US relations. Dar’s visit comes ahead of Pakistan holding the presidency of the UN Security Council this month.

Judging by the Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s US trip and, earlier, Munir’s recent China visit, both much hyped, it is clear that Pakistan is making desperate efforts to keep China and the US in good humour and on the right side by a delicate balancing act, as both the US and China are at loggerheads, but the US needs Pakistan as a strategic ally. [It may be recapitulated that Munir was in the US, including a meeting with Trump, just ahead of the US military strikes on the Iranian nuclear sites.]

Such US overtures to Pakistan could possibly be cosmetic, more tactical, and not really substantial or meaningful. Only time will tell about their “relationship” and its tenacity.

The writer is a retired IPS officer, adviser NatStrat, Bangladesh watcher and a security analyst. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.