One Year On: How Pahalgam Reshaped Pakistan Inside and Out

Last year on this day, tourists were struck in Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam in Illegally Indian Occupied Kashmir, leading to the death of 26 civilians. What ensued was not a mere clash in an age-old conflict, but a four-day war which strained the limits of nuclear deterrence, upended the existing balance of power, and once again served as a reminder to why South Asia continues to be one of the most volatile regions on planet earth.

India responded to this by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling diplomats, sealing borders, and launching Operation Sindoor by striking Pakistani civilians, Pakistan replied to this act of aggression by conducting Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. The US brokered a ceasefire between the two nations after four days of fighting on May 10, but the truth is that much happened beyond the immediate exchange of blows. Pakistan came out as a winner on all fronts.

Internally: A Nation That Stood Together

The Pahalgam incident produced a genuine surge of national solidarity. In the face of external aggression, differences were set aside as citizens rallied behind the state’s response. Public surveys in the immediate aftermath showed overwhelming approval for the armed forces’ performance. A Gallup Pakistan survey conducted in the aftermath of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos found that 97% of respondents rated the army’s performance as “good” or “very good.” This became a shared national affirmation that Pakistan’s security apparatus had protected the homeland when it mattered most.

Such unity did not come through contrived means but organically. The people of Pakistan from Karachi to Khyber, from Quetta to Lahore knew that for them this challenge was a matter of existence. The crisis was serving to remind them that no matter what divisions and arguments we may have amongst ourselves, when the challenge comes from the direction of India, Pakistanis stand united as one people. Such unity has remained as a silent legacy to us always.

Externally: Alliances and Legitimacy Deepened

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan’s gains have been even more striking. The “all-weather” partnership with China emerged stronger than ever. Beijing condemned India’s strikes as “regrettable,” backed Pakistan’s calls for an independent international investigation, and provided crucial assistance in multilateral forums. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) proved its strategic value as a lifeline; China’s substantial economic stake in Pakistan’s stability was validated when it mattered most. Post-ceasefire visits and high-level reaffirmations have cemented a partnership that now carries even greater weight in Beijing’s regional calculus.

The diplomatic relationships between Pakistan and the rest of the Islamic community and with other big players globally have also improved substantially within the year since the incident in Pahalgam. Turkey, having already made twenty-four separate deals in the previous months with Pakistan, supported Pakistan fully in its conflict against India. Saudi Arabia did more than just grant Pakistan a medal for its army, elevating the relationship even further by signing the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement on September 13, 2025, a deal that equates aggression toward either side to aggression toward both, cementing the long-standing partnership.

The relationship with Iran has been revitalised by the state visit of President Pezeshkian to Pakistan in August 2025, which led to twelve important agreements and memorandums of understanding, including in trade (aiming for ten billion dollars per year), energy, security, border control, technology, and cultural exchange.

Even the US has seen a marked improvement in relations, having brokered the ceasefire on May 10, 2025.High-level engagements resumed, economic and security cooperation expanded, and Pakistan’s stabilizing influence was recognized. Most notably, Islamabad’s successful facilitation of US-Iran peace talks in early 2026, including hosting key rounds in the capital, has dramatically elevated Pakistan’s stature as a credible diplomatic bridge-builder on the global stage.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly amplified Pakistan’s call for accountability throughout the crisis and its aftermath. Most significantly, the December 2025 UN expert report explicitly identified India as the aggressor and spotlighted the humanitarian fallout from New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a reckless unilateral move that shocked the international community and backfired spectacularly.

That suspension, India’s failed attempt to weaponize water against over 200 million Pakistanis, undermined an agreement that had survived three wars and decades of hostility. The international community saw it for what it was, reckless unilateralism. Pakistan’s moral, legal, and diplomatic position on the waters issue is now stronger than ever, and the treaty’s fate remains a live lever that India cannot easily ignore.

The crisis also shattered the long-cultivated myth of India’s overwhelming conventional superiority. Pakistan’s multi-domain response, including the first drone warfare between nuclear-armed states and jet-era aerial combat, demonstrated that any future Indian adventurism would come at an unacceptable cost. Analysts now speak of a new “conventional deterrence” on the subcontinent. Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos was not escalation for its own sake; it was a measured message that Pakistan can impose costs without crossing nuclear thresholds. That calibration is the very essence of credible deterrence in South Asia.

Pakistan as Regional Security Player: Calling Out India’s Proxies

The Pahalgam incident forced the international community to realize the dangers posed by the looming specter of nuclear weapons over any confrontation between India and Pakistan. Kashmir is once again making headlines on the international stage, not as an afterthought, but as a point of confrontation with serious implications beyond the Line of Control.

On the other hand, the issue of India’s involvement in hybrid warfare cannot be overlooked. Pakistan has persistently highlighted its concerns about Indian intelligence agencies’ support of the TTP, which recently was renamed to Fitnah-Al-Khawarij (FAK), and BLA, which has been given a new name Fitnah-Al-Hindustan (FAH). Again, this is not some wild conspiracy theory but merely recognizing a pattern. It goes without saying that Pakistan has placed itself in the position of a regional frontline state against state-sponsored terrorism.

India’s Backchannel Temptation and Pakistan’s Firm No

In recent months, reports have surfaced of Indian attempts at backchannel diplomacy, quiet feelers aimed at lowering temperatures without addressing root causes. These overtures are understandable from New Delhi’s perspective as the war exposed the limits of Indian power and the costs of isolation. Yet Pakistan has rightly chosen not to engage on those terms.

Backchannel talks without a commitment to meaningful dialogue on Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty, and an end to cross-border proxy support would reward aggression rather than resolve it. Pakistan’s position is principled and consistent that any normalization must be built on mutual respect, international law, and verifiable de-escalation, not cosmetic gestures designed to let India escape accountability. By holding the line, Islamabad has signaled that it will not be pressured into premature concessions. Strength, not weakness, is what earns respect in this neighborhood.

The Road Ahead

One year after Pahalgam, Pakistan stands taller. Its nuclear deterrence was tested and held. Its alliances were proven reliable. Its diplomatic case was validated on the world stage. Its military demonstrated capabilities that have permanently altered India’s risk calculations, and its people discovered, once again, the power of national unity in the face of external threat.