India, July 6 -- "I would not be here without his statesmanship. He is a great military leader, but I think he has shown himself to be a great diplomat," said US vice-president JD Vance, praising Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire after months of war. Pakistan played a key role in the negotiations that led to the agreement.

There has been an unmistakable turnaround in Pakistan's geopolitical fortunes. In 2022, when Munir became the chief of army staff, the country was in a troubled state. Its economy was teetering on default, former Prime Minister Imran Khan was challenging the political power of the military with mass and intra-army support, insurgent violence was at its peak, relations with ...