India, Oct. 18 -- That was Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, who seized the moment at last week's Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, earning the visible approval of President Trump - a move that clearly rattled India. A segment of Indian media erupted with criticism, portraying Sharif as reckless, yet the Prime Minister appears to have calculated the risks with surgical precision. Trump's repeated public praise for Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom the former President has called his "favourite field marshal," signals a subtle but deliberate recalibration of Pakistan's strategic alignment with the United States.

While this diplomatic drama dominates headlines, Pakistan finds itself engaged in its second war of the year - this...