Going to post two similar threads in quick succession. A brief overview of the situation:
PoD: Soviet hardliner Grigory Romanov takes control of USSR in 1985. Makes it a point to improve relations with the PRC.
Red Afghanistan: USSR achieves victory in Afghanistan by 1989, thanks in part to negotiations with China resulting in the cessation of aid to the Mujahideen. China is able to pressure Pakistan to cease or lessen aid to the muj as well; however, cross-border firefights between Afghan and Pakistani forces
Iranian Civil War: Iran-Iraq War ends in 1988 with decisive Iranian defeat and fall of the mullahs. In the chaotic aftermath, civil war breaks out between numerous factions. A pro-Soviet faction eventually wins out, taking full control of the country by 1993.
Winter of Nations: Pro-democracy protests in Eastern Europe are brutally crushed by Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops.
Detente and the Sino-Soviet Rapprochement: In the early 1990s, the emergence of moderate leadership in both the US and USSR results in a period of detente. Meanwhile, Sino-Soviet ties continue to improve, resulting in a treaty analogous to OTL’s Sino-Russian Friendship Treaty being signed in the mid-90s. US-PRC relations sour over Taiwan and other issues.
US-Indian Ties Increase: Largely as a response to the newfound Sino-Soviet ties, the US and India begin to develop closer relations.
The Kargil War: As in OTL, Pakistan invades the disputed Kargil region in 1999. The US takes a decisively pro-Indian stance throughout the conflict, further straining US-Pakistan ties.
War on Terror: Like IOTL, Islamic terrorism becomes a big problem throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The US and USSR initially cooperate on these issues, but numerous conflicts develop that lead to a breakdown of detente. Meanwhile, US-Pakistani and USSR-Pakistani relations take a hit over real and alleged Pakistani support of terrorism.
How do Pakistan’s relationships with the superpowers develop in this scenario? On one hand, their old friend the United States is cozying up with their archenemy India, and their ties have been strained over the issue of terrorism. On the other hand, their main ally, China, is now allied with their old foe the USSR, which has established two communist puppet states on Pakistani borders. Does Pakistan become a sort of battleground between the two blocs, as it was between Iranian and Saudi factions in the 1990s?