What Lies Ahead for CPoKEC and Pakistan’s Islamic Alliances

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The Pahalgam terror incident of April 2025, an attack targeting civilians in Jammu and Kashmir has provoked not only diplomatic ripples but also a strategic recalibration of how Pakistan is perceived by its principal allies and benefactors. As attribution patterns increasingly implicate Pakistan-based non-state actors, questions arise about the resilience of two critical pillars of Islamabad’s external orientation: China’s economic investments via the China–Pakistan occupied Kashmir Economic Corridor (CPoKEC), and Pakistan’s long-standing religious-political solidarity with the Muslim world.

CPoKEC under Pressure from Investment Corridor to Strategic Dilemma

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References

  1. Chatham House. (2025). Rising tensions resurface Pakistan’s credibility problem–and India’s backfiring policy on Kashmir. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
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  10. The Mahabharata (trans. Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883–1896).

Image Credit: Council of Foreign Relations (CFR)

About the Author

Kondaraju Sandeep Royal holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Pondicherry University. He completed Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Christ University. He is currently pursuing Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Indra Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). He is part of the editorial team of The Viyug regularly contributing expertise on South Asia.

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