Thursday’s parliamentary briefing by Pakistan’s top military and intelligence officials on pressing matters related to national security is a signal towards standing united against all odds the state faces from external elements. From major policy shift on relations with the United States, the Afghan quagmire to FATF grey listing and India’s recent state-sponsored terrorism in cities such as Lahore; a frank discussion between parliamentarians and military officials was the need of the hour. The compressive briefing by the ISI chief on regional and internal security satisfied all political parties present in the parliamentary briefing. Prime Minister Imran Khan has already expressed his stance on some of these issues as a turning point for Pakistan which had to bear the brunt of regional and global geopolitics for several decades. The end result was always unfavourable and PM Khan’s bold and blunt take should not be ignored by New Delhi or Washington DC. Let’s just say that Islamabad has had enough of being treated like a punching bag and taken for granted. If the Biden administration is serious about pursuing peace in the region then it should snap out of its subtly hawkish mode and pursue ties with Islamabad on facts rather than old myths. It could have had a stable withdrawal process from Afghanistan but no, it chose to leave in a hurry and lose the war in Afghanistan after 20 years with nothing but bloodshed and no tangible objectives achieved. On the military basing rights, PM Khan is absolutely spot on and the West needs to take lessons from the Vietnam and the Iraq Wars where the local population were against its presence. Similarly, the future of South Asia’s stability is not only tied to the showdown between Islamabad and New Delhi but also Washington and Beijing in a broader context. Islamabad had consistently sought to have fruitful ties with all three states with only Beijing being a reliable partner in both peace and conflict. If Washington wants to escalate hostilities with Beijing through New Delhi then it’s committing a grave mistake as it would be one of its greatest blunders. Resolving the issue of Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IoJ&K) and containing Hindutva-dominated Indian political machinery is what true torchbearers of liberal values should seek which is yet to be shown by the new leadership in the State Department and the White House. Chasing China over the Uighur issue implies hypocrisy on its part. Pakistan’s government and the opposition may have their own issues but national security is where they are steadfastly united for resisting against all external pressures and arm twisting. *