EXAMINING THE LEVEL OF SOVEREIGNTY OF PAKISTAN SINCE MARCH 2024 AND ITS INFLUENCE ON FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS CHINA AND THE USA

Abstract

This study examines the level of Pakistan’s sovereignty since March 2024 and its influence on the country’s foreign policy towards China and the USA, utilizing Dependency Theory as a theoretical lens. Dependency Theory highlights the asymmetric economic and strategic relationships that shape the policies of developing nations, often compromising their sovereignty. The study relies on secondary data to explore Pakistan's strategic dependencies on China and the USA by focusing on economic help, trade agreements, military support, and geopolitical correspondence. Research discusses these dependencies that influences Pakistan's ability to exercise autonomous decision-making in its foreign policy, particularly balancing relations between the two world powers. It appears that, on one hand, Pakistan has kept an important strategic relationship with China through programs such as CPEC but is looking at the same time for economic and security cooperation with the USA. That puts Pakistan in a critical geopolitical position, which would require careful strategic diplomacy from the government to safeguard the national interest while balancing both the powers' pressures on it. The study underlines the implications of these dependencies for Pakistan's sovereignty and its broader role in regional and global politics.