Published on, Sept. 25 -- September 25, 2025 1:32 AM

It is the kind of week Islamabad has not seen in years: a week when Pakistan seemed to matter again.

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif placed himself at the centre of Gaza diplomacy, aligning Pakistan with a broad coalition that demanded ceasefires and humanitarian corridors as a moral imperative, not a diplomatic option. At the same gathering, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did what few dare. He spoke of Kashmir. In a hall that often rewards silence, Erdogan's words cut through, reminding the world that occupation and disenfranchisement cannot be airbrushed away.

Add to this the newly inked Saudi-Pakistan defence pact, with wh...