ABSTRACT
Changes in Pakistan’s external environment has pushed it towards seeking a closer alliance with China. The White House believes that America’s position in Afghanistan is due to Pakistan’s tolerance of extremists who are operating out of the sanctuaries they have established in the country’s tribal areas. Shunned and often scolded by the United States and shunted aside by Narendra Modi’s India, Pakistan has moved firmly into the Chinese orbit. Pakistan has an important place in the Islamic world. It is the only Muslim country to be founded on the basis of religion. Pakistan has about 195 million Muslims in a population of 210 million. With the United States shunning Pakistan, Islamabad has turned towards Moscow to enlist Russian assistance in meeting its military needs. Islamabad had received billions of dollars from the United States but had allowed the Taliban to maintain sanctuaries in its territory.
