Surviving in this competitive world overshadowed by geopolitical dominance and ever changing foreign policies, Pakistan has to look beyond the horizon and create allies for a better future. It is best for business only for Pakistan to mend its ties with countries it once had fruitful relations with but with whom ties became sore because of certain political and economic factors. To embark on the road to recovery, Pakistan has a number of options to go for, where it can extend a hand of friendship to its regional neighbours. Although Pakistan has had its share of animosity from Afghanistan during the post-9/11 era, Pak-Afghan relations or Af-Pak, as coined by the US, just may move on to a better tomorrow. Recently, Afghanistan’s finance minister, Eklil Ahmad Hakimi, met his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, in Islamabad to discuss energy issues. The issues discussed included the import of 2,000 MW of electricity from Turkmenistan and developing the Gwadar-Helmand road link. According to the initial proposal, this electricity will reach Pakistan from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan. This 30-year agreement will benefit Pakistan for it is facing an acute shortage in electricity, which has been hampering business growth for years. At the same time, Pakistan has offered its support to Afghanistan in its pursuit of peace. How much support Pakistan can provide to Afghanistan is yet to be seen for Islamabad itself has been tackling hardcore extremist issues for years. Apart from Afghanistan, another country situated in close proximity to South Asia is Russia, which has been enjoying an influential status of late in world politics. Although Russia may not be a superpower as it was during the post-Cold War era, it has been, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, sustaining as a catalyst that can change geopolitical affairs. Recently, Republic of Tatarstan Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ildar Mingaleev visited Islamabad and showed keenness towards investing in Pakistan’s automobile and energy sector. According to reports, Russia and Pakistan have held negotiations to explore oil and gas fields in Pakistan. Moreover, Gazprom, Russia’s largest company, has envisioned supplying LNG to Pakistan. Furthermore, Russia’s RT Global Resources will develop the 1,100 kilometer North South Gas pipeline in Pakistan by 2020, which will link LNG terminals from Karachi to Lahore. This will certainly give an impetus for growth to Pakistan’s industrial sector. Russia is also interested in entering a joint venture with Pakistan to manufacture automobiles and trucks along with shipbuilding and manufacturing of other industrial equipment. With such developments taking place Pakistan’s future seems bright with regards to economic stability.However, even while extending a hand towards either Afghanistan or Russia, Islamabad must keep in mind the US’ signals and that Washington will be watching over Pakistan’s moves with a keen sense of interest. Over the years, Washington and Moscow have experienced a rugged path and since Pakistan is the US’ ally in the war on terror, it should make a conscious decision when it comes to siding with Russia. Any negative sentiment can weaken Pak-US ties and Islamabad is not in a position to experience this. Furthermore, Russia and Afghanistan have also been key opponents during the latter parts of the Cold War and, interestingly, it was Pakistan that assisted the US in providing Afghanistan the necessary equipment and resources to defeat Russia. Now that the three players of the Cold War are part of this equation of geopolitical affairs, it is yet to be seen how they can remain on the same page and work towards progress and development. Keeping this in mind, Pakistan needs to remain confident about Afghanistan and Russia if it intends to gain positive results. However, the foreign ministry of Pakistan must consider that its tone while addressing to either Afghanistan or Russia should not be too humble or too aggressive; taking a conservative approach will be the most viable option. Both Afghanistan and Russia are facing internal and external threats of their own and this is also true for Pakistan, where the armed forces are exterminating militant threats in the country’s north while swerving away negative elements coming from India and elsewhere.The way forward for Pakistan, at this time, will be to focus on economic and trade relations with Afghanistan and Russia, while paying little or no heed at Pakistan’s relations with the two countries in the past; it is time to bury the hatchet. If all things go as planned, Pakistan will receive electricity from Turkmenistan with the help of Afghanistan and will have an influx of capital from Russia. This will foster new bonds for Pakistan within the region and create a stronghold of good intentions. However, Pakistan has to consider China’s sentiments when striking a deal with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan for electricity related projects. Earlier, in April this year, Pakistan and China signed agreements to install 14 power projects in Pakistan and two 660 MW power generation projects. For Pakistan, bridging ties with Afghanistan means a favourable situation for the US as the Af-Pak region will be stable and peaceful. On the other hand, Pakistan’s closeness with Afghanistan might not bode well with Pak-China ties as China would want to have a major share of investment in Pakistan for its ‘all-weather friend’ status. It is yet to be seen what progress occurs between Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Russia. It is, therefore, a surety, that these investments coming into Pakistan will shift Pakistan’s geopolitical stance in South Asia and in the world. The writer focuses on topics of international relations with a focus on South Asia