In May 2025, after 87 tense hours of high-intensity conflict, it was the United States once again stepping in to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. But this time, the strategic undertones were far more complicated. Pakistan’s increasingly close alignment with China, across defense, technology, and crisis coordination, was no longer a subtext; it was the substructure. For seasoned observers, this shift echoed a pivotal moment six decades earlier, when the aftermath of the 1965 war forced Pakistan to navigate between U.S. pressure and the emerging pull of China. Then too, a ceasefire was brokered, alliances were tested, and the future of great power mediation in South Asia quietly began to fracture.
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