Pakistan’s regional military and diplomatic position has strengthened, while India’s efforts to isolate

According to prominent US foreign policy expert Daniel Markey in an interview with Indian news platform The Wire. Markey described the trilateral agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a significant diplomatic achievement for Islamabad, arguing that closer ties with Gulf powers are strengthening Pakistan’s position in the wider Middle East and undermining attempts to distance Islamabad from the region.

Markey said the trilateral cooperation could enhance Pakistan’s defense capabilities, financial backing and regional influence, while giving Islamabad greater strategic depth through stronger partnerships with major regional powers. He argued that India had invested heavily in building special relationships across the Middle East but had not succeeded in preventing Pakistan from expanding its own diplomatic and strategic ties with Gulf countries. Pakistan’s growing regional partnerships, he added, are challenging India’s diplomatic influence and its efforts to establish a dominant position in the region.

The US expert further said that the agreement could force New Delhi to exercise greater caution before considering military action or taking dangerous steps along the Pakistan-India border. He argued that the development also weakens the narrative that Pakistan has become irrelevant to regional affairs, while Islamabad’s nuclear, conventional and technological capabilities remain significant factors that India cannot ignore. Pakistan’s long-standing military experience and strategic importance, including its role during the two-decade Afghanistan war, have also contributed to its continuing regional relevance.

Markey said Pakistan’s expanding network of regional partnerships could limit India’s diplomatic influence, strategic freedom and access to Gulf states. He characterized the trilateral agreement as a development that places greater strategic pressure on New Delhi and demonstrates the limitations of India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan. According to Markey, Islamabad’s effective diplomacy has helped restore its position as an important regional power, while its growing ties with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could further reshape the strategic balance in South Asia and the wider Middle East.