Pakistan bets on Trump, India's growth upset fears: Shehbaz believes another Indian strike is unlikely

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif believes India is unlikely to launch another attack, pointing to international backing, diplomacy, and India's own economic vulnerabilities as the reasons. "We're already in a struggling phase, so we're prepared for any scenario,” he said, "but given the economic progress India claims to have made, war would be a complete disaster for them. The destruction would be India’s to bear."

Sharif's remarks, reported by Pakistani media on Tuesday, came during a media interaction where he outlined three reasons why India would not pursue further military escalation. The first, he said, is international support and transparency. "We have consistently offered even to the Americans to participate in an international investigation to probe India’s allegations," Sharif said, referring to the terror attack in Pahalgam. "This transparent approach had won international confidence."

The second factor, he noted, was what Pakistan's leadership calls "the Trump factor." "Trump has proudly claimed credit for playing a decisive role in achieving the ceasefire, and this he sees as a big victory for himself," Sharif said. "While there is not much progress on Ukraine and Gaza, the Pakistan-India crisis was much easier to de-escalate through diplomacy. President Trump grabbed this opportunity to be known as a peacemaker, and we're confident he won’t let this great achievement [go to waste]. Trump is fundamentally a man of peace, not war."

Sharif added that economic considerations were the third pillar preventing further conflict. "Given the economic progress India claims to have made, war would be a complete disaster for them. The destruction would be India’s to bear," he said.

Just days earlier, speaking to troops in Quetta, Shehbaz Sharif had delivered a blunt message on Pakistan's economic fragility and donor fatigue. "They no longer expect us to go there with a begging bowl," he said, referring to allies like China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE. "I am the last person, along with Field Marshal Asim Munir, to carry this (economic) burden any more on our shoulders."

He stressed the need to deploy Pakistan's natural and human resources for profitable ventures. "The Almighty has blessed us...we must make full use of them and deploy them for these very profitable ventures."

Meanwhile, India continues to raise concerns at global forums over Pakistan’s role in harbouring terror groups. Despite India’s objection, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently disbursed a fresh $1 billion to Pakistan as part of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility approved in September 2024.