On August 12, 2025, Islamabad proudly rolled out yet another circus act: the U.S.–Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue. A grand affair, co-chaired by Pakistan’s special secretary for the UN and the U.S. State Department’s acting coordinator for counterterrorism, it had all the props—polished flags, stiff handshakes, heavy statements about “joint resolve.” The kind of theatre where everyone pretends to be serious while the audience dies of laughter. Because let’s be honest: Pakistan lecturing the world on counter-terrorism is like a pyromaniac hosting a fire-safety seminar. The very state that incubated militant networks for decades, sheltered them, deployed them as “strategic assets,” now sits across from the Americans with a straight face to declare itself a bulwark against terror. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. The Americans, of course, played their part. Just days earlier they had officially designated Baloch groups as terrorist organisations. A convenient gift for Islamabad: more legal cover to crush dissent in Balochistan. And in return, Washington gets what it really wants—access to copper, lithium, gold, rare earths. The counter-terror dialogue becomes little more than a signing ceremony for resource politics, a solemn bow over the corpse of Baloch freedom dressed up as “partnership.” China, meanwhile, hovers over the scene like the other jealous spouse. Beijing has perfected the art of wrapping colonisation in the language of “development and stability.” Terrorism, according to the Chinese script, is simply an obstacle to CPEC, and counter-terror cooperation is code for “protect our mines, guard our ports.” Pakistan, ever the skilled juggler of patrons, flashes its best smile and tells both Washington and Beijing: don’t worry, we’re your loyal ally. It’s a performance of double loyalty that fools no one but still earns applause. And because no performance is complete without a new prop, Islamabad proudly unveiled its shiny new invention: the National Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centre. A name so long it must be serious. Slick brochures, fancy acronyms, promises of “fusion” and “coordination.” In reality it’s the same soup of agencies tripping over one another, the same corruption, the same insurgencies spreading across Balochistan and Bajaur. But hey, give it a new logo and suddenly it’s progress. India, predictably, scoffs. For New Delhi, watching Pakistan chair a counter-terror meeting is like watching a bank robber deliver a lecture on savings accounts. The hypocrisy is so thick you could spread it on toast. But the Americans nod politely, the Chinese grin strategically, and the show goes on. Because that’s what it is: a show. The August 12 dialogue wasn’t about protecting anyone from bombs or bullets. It wasn’t about dismantling militant networks. It wasn’t even about policy. It was about optics, contracts, and legitimising repression. It was a stage play in which Pakistan plays both villain and hero, and the U.S. plays the benevolent partner while reaching for the mineral contracts under the table. The farce is complete when you realise that, for all the speeches and photo-ops, nothing changes. Protesters are still being beaten in Islamabad. Women are still being dragged into vans. People in Balochistan are still vanishing without a trace. The militants Pakistan claims to be fighting are still treated as assets when useful and threats when not. And yet the diplomats and generals still pat themselves on the back for a “successful dialogue.” The truth is simple: the U.S.–Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue of August 12 was not a strategy against terror but a grotesque pantomime. Everyone knows the script by heart. The state feeds the fire, hosts the fire drill, and then sends the world an invoice for extinguishing the flames. And the audience? We’re supposed to clap, nod, and pretend we didn’t just watch the arsonist crowned as fire marshal.