"Multiple chickens are coming home to roost". Dr. S Jaishankar made the remark during a discussion event hosted by the US think tank Hudson Institute in Washington. 

 are coming home to roost". Dr. S Jaishankar made the remark during a discussion event hosted by the US think tank Hudson Institute in Washington. Although the Foreign Minister did not name the country, everyone in attendance may have surmised what country he was referring to when he referenced "India's neighbor in the West."

For the past few years, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which is located on the South Asian Continent and is one of India's immediate neighbors, has been mired in a maelstrom of issues. For the past few years, Pakistan's economic problems have increased so dramatically and so rapidly at the same time that various heads of various countries and even Pakistan's closest allies are not un-eager to assist the country because they are concerned about whether Pakistan will be able to repay the loans if they aid the country. Although the country's economic challenges are nothing new, Pakistan has also been getting a taste of its own medicine in the last couple of years, and since the COVID-19 outbreak, with terror attacks near its western border by the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) and the recent halt in the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) and the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), all of these factors are working as a plus point that have pushed the country into the stage it is today.

Pakistan's economy was already in a troubled state; however, 

 pandemic was the final nail in the coffin. Today, the country's economy is in considerably worse shape than previously, with the country on the verge of bankruptcy, unlike its neighbors. Pakistan's economy has only deteriorated in recent years. Pakistan's GDP growth rate has never been spectacular, but it has been steadily improving. Pakistan's economy has been damaged since 2018, with growth falling from 5.5% in 2018 to -0.3% in 2020. Pakistan's economy suffered as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In 2018, Pakistan's economy was growing at a rate of 5.5%, but in just three months into 2020, more than 3 million people lost their jobs, raising the jobless rate to 9.56%. Pakistan's inflation rate has risen from 2.6% before COVID-19 to more than 

 in the last two years, from 2020 to 2022. Power succession in Pakistan has also contributed to this in the last year, with the change in Prime Ministers from Imran Khan to Shebaz Sharif to the current caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, which has also acted as a plus point for the country's deteriorating situation, as the change in leadership has led to a change in ideas and a change in policies, which has affected the country's situation and today brought it to a point.

"If you have snakes in your backyard, you can't expect them to bite only your neighbors." The former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton made the remark during a 2011 discussion, and a decade later, the same statement was quoted by. Today's Pakistan is going through exactly what Hilliary Clinton warned Pakistan more than a decade ago. Whenever the topic of terrorism has been highlighted in recent years, India's immediate neighbor, Pakistan, has been in the news as well. In recent decades, Pakistan has been put in the spotlight by various countries and international organizations. However, in the last 2–3 years, Pakistan has experienced a surge in terrorist attacks. Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, former 

 general director General Faiz, who declared then that "their western borders have been secured," has not been kind to Pakistan since gaining power. Following a period of factionalism and internal warfare, the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) underwent a process of reorganization and reunification in 2020. This restructure was spearheaded by 

, who took over as TTP leader during this time. The Pakistan Army claims that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for the deaths of more than 220 Pakistani soldiers and commanders in 2023. The TTP's increasing savagery can be linked to its growing political and material capabilities, as seen by its growing political legitimacy and pool of well-trained militants, suicide bombers, weaponry, and resources. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)'s political leadership and operational capacity are mostly headquartered in Afghanistan. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has successfully reclaimed control of several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's southern districts, including South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Tank, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat. Today, the TTP has threatened Pakistan's security and poses a dangerous threat, and with growing affiliates, the TTP has increased its visibility in two ways: First, with more affiliates, TTP has an abundance of battle-hardened militants inside its ranks, which has a huge impact on its fight against Pakistan. Second, the increased number of affiliates has provided TTP with a strategic opportunity to develop in places such as southern Baluchistan and the tribal district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

China's debt trap diplomacy and the hanging sword

China has become renowned as an ally to all countries where there is no western front in recent years. In recent years, China's footprint has expanded not only to its neighbors but also to other continents such as South America and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, but China's relief packages have always come with massive debts and other purposes, such as using the home country's land to fulfil their own geopolitical purposes. Pakistan is the clearest example of this; the country is well-known for borrowing large sums from "its all-weather ally." Although China has always been there to assist Pakistan in times of economic crisis, with the mounting economic concerns in Pakistan and petrol prices hitting a new high of 300 Pakistani rupees, this economic crisis is currently affecting both China and Pakistan, as various sources indicate that China is closely monitoring Pakistan's economic crisis in order to avoid becoming entangled in it. China appears to be backing away from its multi-billion-dollar BRI commitments in Pakistan as the country tightens its purse strings with several projects associated with CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) that are now either stalled or running way behind schedule. To assist Pakistan in this situation, China has agreed to reschedule over USD 2 billion in debt over the next two years. Even if Pakistan cancels this 

, China will still provide it with a USD 6.5 billion loan for the development of its two nuclear power plants in Karachi, totaling USD 9.5 billion. Pakistan is also seeking approximately 

 from China and Saudi Arabia to bridge external and internal resource gaps in order to keep the IMF rescue package on track. Although these kinds of loans help Pakistan resolve its present debt crisis, in the long run, the Chinese loans, combined with Pakistan's habit of repaying one loan with another, are to blame for the country's current financial dilemma. While China is cordial enough to provide money to Pakistan when it needs it, China has a different personality when it comes time to repay the debt. China has sought repayment of several loans granted to Pakistan over the last two years, including the 

, for which Pakistan must repay USD 55.6 million by November 2023. Meanwhile, China-Railway North Industries Corporation (CR-NORINCO), which finished the Lahore Orange Line Project, has asked for an advance payment of USD 10 million. Many of Pakistan's electrical power facilities are deeply indebted, with debts totalling over USD 14 billion.

Although Saudi Arabia and the IMF bailout package may help Pakistan in the short term, any loan from China will not help Pakistan. Even if China has allowed Pakistan to repay one of its debts after two years, the rest of the loans will have to be paid, putting Pakistan back at square one, especially given the increase in casualties at the hands of TTP terrorists. It is possible that Pakistan will remain in this dilemma for a long time because the present Afghan administration has raised its hands and resolved not to provoke TTP members by siding with or assisting Pakistan. If the issue continues, it can be assumed that the current BRI or CPEC projects, which are currently behind schedule, will be postponed without a fixed date, and China may also take a wait-and-see approach, as they would not want to invest more in an economically and civil-war-torn country because Pakistan has always paid China's loans with hefty sums of interest, which China would not want to lose.

Pakistan's never ending cycle of problems

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