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The most significant headline for Pakistan in 2025 is undoubtedly the unexpected reset in relations with the United States. Few in Islamabad or across the Atlantic believed that ties could improve under Donald Trump’s second presidency, assuming any warmth would be brief and transactional. Even when President Trump publicly praised Pakistan for arresting one of the masterminds behind the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, many analysts dismissed it as short-lived. Instead, Pakistan-US relations strengthened. This turnaround becomes even more striking when contrasted with President Joe Biden’s administration. Pakistan was sidelined, with minimal high-level engagement and a near-freeze in dialogue. But within the first few months of Trump’s presidency, he met Pakistan’s army chief twice and also held a formal meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — the first such engagement in six years.
The brief but intense Pakistan-India military crisis in May played a critical role in this reset. Washington closely observed Islamabad’s crisis management and diplomacy. Unlike the Biden administration’s largely hands-off approach, the Trump White House opted for direct engagement, reflecting a more pragmatic foreign policy. Crucially, US policymakers concluded that Pakistan remained a country Washington could still work with meaningfully.
One lesson drawn from the crisis was the relative flexibility of Pakistani interlocutors compared to India’s. That assessment reportedly influenced even long-standing India supporters in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, once among New Delhi’s most vocal backers, emerged from the episode with a noticeably more balanced view of Pakistan’s role. But many in Pakistan remained cautious. They feared this renewed engagement would remain purely transactional, offering Islamabad little in tangible terms. That prediction, too, has been proven wrong.
The most concrete manifestation of this new momentum is Washington’s approval of a $686 million package for upgrading Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft. According to a letter sent by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to the US Congress on December 8, the proposed deal covers technical assistance, equipment sales, avionics upgrades, training and comprehensive logistical support. The stated purpose of the sale is to modernise Pakistan’s F-16 fleet and address operational safety concerns. The package includes Link-16 communication and data-sharing systems, cryptographic equipment and other upgrades that will enable Pakistan to keep its F-16 Block-52 and Mid-Life Upgrade aircraft operational until at least 2040. The DSCA also explicitly linked the deal to counterterrorism cooperation, noting that it would boost Pakistan-US cooperation against future threats.
Beyond the hardware, the agreement is strategically significant. It enhances interoperability between the Pakistan Air Force and the US Air Force, expanding the scope for joint exercises and coordinated operations. Pakistan described the approval as part of routine defence cooperation, noting F-16s’ significant contribution to air defence and counterterrorism operations.
This move follows another important decision in October, when the US amended the list of authorised buyers for Raytheon, allowing the sale of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) to Pakistan, a clear signal that Washington was prepared to move past years of restraint.
Unsurprisingly, India is unhappy, which Washington ignored. The underlying calculation is evident: US still sees Pakistan as strategically relevant and wants to ensure Islamabad does not drift entirely into China’s orbit.
For Pakistan, which increasingly relies on Chinese military technology, maintaining and upgrading its F-16 fleet is a careful balancing act. It reflects a desire not to put all strategic eggs in one basket. In that sense, Trump’s ‘gift’ is not merely about jets. It marks Pakistan’s re-entry into Washington’s strategic calculus, a development that could shape regional dynamics well beyond 2025.
