
You underestimate the situation in South Asia right now, Pakistan splits the historical ethnic boundaries of the ethnic group that makes up most of the taliban and they’ve made it clear that they want a reunification of their territory. Most likely scenario for a South Asian world war is Pakistan fighting a 2 front war against India and Afghanistan.
I’d also say that the Trump administration has aligned the US more with Pakistan than India now. If the Indian nationalist government keeps power and its stance of not siding with the west then you may see them siding with Russia who they get all their weapons from. It’s a complicated area ngl
Pakistan wouldn’t dare turn against China, and China would work to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid any sort of critical vulnerability in their western flank while they focus their energy on the U.S., Taiwan and Japan. It’s an interesting point though, and at the end of the day it’s most likely that India and Pakistan would still be going crazy on each other and ignoring the broader conflicts. But good points altogether