Pakistan, despite its strategic geography and military clout, fails to meet the key benchmarks that define the United States’ approach to Asia, according to a new report published in One World Outlook. The study asserts that Pakistan’s governance structure, economic instability, and opportunistic diplomacy undermine its reliability as a long-term American partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

The report describes Pakistan as a “nuclear-armed nation with a military-dominated civilian government” heavily dependent on IMF bailouts and financial aid from Saudi Arabia. It argues that Islamabad’s approach contrasts sharply with Washington’s regional priorities, which emphasize partnerships based on shared democratic values and strategic stability.

“The generals in Rawalpindi are masters of playing everyone — China, the US, and the Gulf — for short-term gain,” the report noted. It warned that what appears to be a “new chapter” in US-Pakistan relations is, in reality, “another short story in a long anthology of disappointment.”

The publication highlighted Pakistan’s latest pitch to Washington — a billion-dollar port project in Pasni, Balochistan, near China’s Gwadar port. The proposed deep-water facility, presented as a civilian venture, offers the US potential surveillance advantages over China and Iran. During a recent visit to Washington, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir reportedly pitched the project while promoting Pakistan’s mineral wealth as a way to reduce America’s reliance on China.

However, the report cautioned that Pakistan’s real goal is to divert Washington’s focus away from its deepening defense and strategic partnership with India. It concluded that the US should exercise “strategic patience” and strengthen ties with India — its only democratic partner in Asia that aligns with long-term Indo-Pacific objectives.