Published on, Aug. 22 -- August 22, 2025 8:18 AM

On most days, the promise of peace appears a distant hope for ordinary Pakistanis, particularly as the past few years delivered some of the most brutal reminders yet. Sixteen soldiers were killed-16!-when a bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into their convoy at Mir Ali on June 28. The air still smarts from such carnage. Still, this week, a different narrative has begun to emerge.

At the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Kabul, Pakistan stood at the centre of a renewed front for regional security. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar secured solemn pledges from Afghanistan and China to strengthen cooperation against terrorism in what can only be called a rare alignment amid vo...