Was Pakistan's "support" given freely or coerced? That answer makes a world of difference to what can be claimed. If the support was given freely, then how can one explain the thousands of dead, billions in losses and violations of sovereignty by drones and midnight helicopter raids. If it was coerced, then all of those make some sense, but then one cannot lay claim to being the kingmaker.
I'm afraid you still seem a little confused, whether it was coerced or not makes no difference, because whether you are pushed into a boxing ring or step inside willingly, if at the end of the fight you are still standing, that's all that matters. The fight may have been dirty and you get injured like hell, but if you are standing and your opponent is not, and your opponent has not been able to defeat you, that matters.
Again you are confusing the two issues, because the thousands of dead does not take away the result of the fight, that was the cost we paid, it was a heavy cost, sure, but it does not change the result.
Again you keep working on assumptions, I never made the claim that Pakistan was a king maker, why do you keep making assumptions? discuss what I have said not what you are assuming, that's very unfair, and makes this discussion pointless.
Pakistan's support was pivotal, means Pakistan had value, that was important enough to deliver victories, that does not amount to being a king maker, Pakistan never was and still isn't that strong. But that doesn't mean Pakistan doesn't have value, Pakistan's value is strong enough to deliver victories to the parties it decides to support. It should be recognised.
Please do not over read into what I am saying, stick with facts, look at what I have said, its not complicated, they are simple facts. In each of the situations I mentioned, the parties that had the support of Pakistan, won, that is a fact. In some of those situations Pakistan paid a heavy price, but that's life. Sometimes you pay a price for things you do, the fight came to us, we did not bend nor did we back down, we fought the best we could, and we were not defeated, that matters, it's important, please recognise it, we need to develop a new habit of self-respect and stop crying regarding anything positive about Pakistan.
It feels like if I swear at Pakistan and say bad things about Pakistan, that is more readily accepted among Pakistanis, but if I point out positive things, that are factually correct, Pakistanis go into drama mode, and try to find a million reasons why positive things about Pakistan should not be recognised, that's very unfair and sad, we really need to get out of this bad habit.
Has Pakistan "chosen" China, or was it left no other choice after the irreparable damage done to its transactional relationship with USA?
I do not know, and to be honest I don't care, I am confident in our capacity to tackle head-on anything anyone wants to throw at us, America, China or anyone else, they know our value. Right now, we need to keep a balance, and just get on with developing our bloody economy. Pakistan is a large country of 230 million, that matters, it will probably have a population of 400 million by the time it stops increasing, that's a massive country.
I think right now, the best thing for us is to try and keep a balance with a tilt towards China, nothing more then a tilt, develop ourselves, then see where we stand. Look at the 1980/90s South Korea, Turkey in the 2000s and see how fast they developed, Pakistan in the late 1950s and 60s, we have done it before, I see no reason why we cant again. SO, f.. everyone else and just concentrate on our own development, that's my honest opinion.