Impacts Of US-China Competition On Pakistan’s Domestic And Regional Security

China-US relations have had a profound impact on the domestic and regional security of Pakistan.The China-US clash has undermined Islamabad’s security by boosting political savagery and blunting the socio-political consistency in the country.This paper discussed the impacts of competition between the US and PRC on the domestic security of Pakistan.Washington’s competition with Beijing boosted the Kashmir issue by supporting India.Also,China Pakistan Economic Corridor became a bone of contention due to US power struggles in India,negatively impacting CPEC’s security.While Islamabad’s continuously cooperating with PRC allows it to enhance its economic interest,it has created new security difficulties for Islamabad’s ties with neighboring states and strained its bilateral relations with Washington.The regional race between Beijing and Washington has undermined Islamabad’s security with Afghanistan and India.The competition among Washington and Beijing escalated Islamabad’s old feud with New Delhi,weakened Islamabad’s position on Kashmir,and disturbed IndoPak deterrence stability.The Indo-US Strategic Alliance has authorized Beijing to advance strategic cooperation with Islamabad.Islamabad security has been undermined by the Afghan anxiety impacts and the spread of militancy on Pakistan’s western border due to the presence of the US military in the region.The strategic partnership between New Delhi and Kabul has further strained Islamabad’s ties with Kabul.Since US dependence on Pakistan has almost ended after the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan,Pakistan now faces several challenges in protecting its strategic interests in Afghanistan.Although Islamabad has made vigorous diplomatic efforts since August2021 to minimize disagreements and inconsistencies in its ties with Washington,now it is looking for new opportunities to curb China’s rise.The study answers a fundamental question: What impact does US competition with China have on the domestic and regional security of Pakistan? The thesis explored that friendly relations between Beijing and Washington would increase Islamabad’s security,while hostility between Beijing and Washington would harm Islamabad’s security.Thus realism theory provides an interesting theoretical framework for investigating the basic attributes of Beijing and Washington’s bilateral relations.Both China and the US strategically tried very hard to appease Pakistan in their favor in terms of economic and military aid and partnership.Pakistan utilized its economic and military aid to strengthen its economic development and military advancements.Pakistan has expressed a desire to change its approach by relying on global support from geoeconomics to reduce the costs of increasing competition from the US and China in world politics.Pakistan has learned from the past that the US has abandoned Pakistan on many occasions despite its role in the post-9/11 era and frontline ally country in the war against terrorism.Pakistan should simultaneously benefit from the security and economic benefits associated with safeguarding mutually beneficial partnerships with the two major world powers,and there is no need to rely too much on either of them.Despite rising tensions between US and PRC,Pakistan should have found middle ways to develop mutual understanding between these states and get benefit from both.