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Last updated January 2019

CSS with Mushtaq Mahindro

Pakistan’s Foreign Policy in the historical perspective

Related question:
1. Friends and foes are not permanent in international politics. These are national interests
which are supreme and lasting. Please discuss it concerning Pak-US relations.

“Foreign Policy is the key element in the process by which a state translates its broadly
conceived goals and interests into concrete courses of action to attain these objectives and
preserve interests” Padelford and Lincoln

Basic facts about Pakistan:

Pakistan with a population of about 220 million is the sixth largest country in the world. It
has 1046 long coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south. India is on its east, China in the
North, Afghanistan, and Iran in the west. Pakistan is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan
through a narrow strip called WA khan strip in the North at places just 20 miles wide. It has the
seventh largest army in the world. It is a declared nuclear only Muslim state in the world. It is a
semi-industrialized agrarian economy which stands 47th in terms of nominal GDP in the world.
Pakistan's history is characterized by four episodes of military rule spreading almost over three
decades, political instability and conflicts with India. The country still faces challenges such as
terrorism (though curtailed significantly after the Zarb e Azb operation by the armed forces of
Pakistan), energy shortage, poverty and illiteracy, lawlessness in some parts of the country, tax
evasion, crime, and corruption.

It is a founding member of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and is a

member of the Commonwealth of Nations, SAARC, ECO, D8, and the G20 developing nations.

Objectives and determinants of foreign policy:

1. It seeks to protect the territorial integrity of the country and the wellbeing of its people.
2. Maintenance of the links with other countries and adoption of a policy of cooperation or
confrontation to promote and further the national interests.
3. It aims at promoting the economic interests of the country.
4. It also aims at enhancing the influence of the state by expanding its sphere of influence or
reducing the other states to the position of dependency.
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5. Culture, religious bent, and public sentiment mainly determine the parameters of a
country’s foreign policy.
6. Press and electronic media also play an important role in foreign policy formulation.
7. There is a leadership factor as well in shaping the contours of the foreign policy of a
country.
8. The world public opinion and sentiment on certain issues also influence foreign policy.

Our Foreign policy options through history:

1. Security of national frontiers, and peace and economic well-being of the people have
remained the essential pillars of our foreign policy.
2. The unresolved issue of Kashmir as an unfinished agenda of the partition of the
subcontinent in 1947. The most non-defensive point on the part of the British, with
respect to June 1947 partition plan, was it's authorizing the Rajas of the 562 princely
states of the sub-continent to decide about the fate of their subjects. This option was
against the fundamental spirit of democracy and the basic principle enshrined in the
partition plan of the Subcontinent.
3. We had our first encounter with India on Kashmir in the very first year of our
independence. After that, we had fought almost three wars on this issue.
4. Afghanistan opposed Pakistan’s admission to the United Nations. It also put forward its
irredentist claim over the Pashto speaking regions of our country and did not accept the
international border between the two countries which was drawn (in the name of Durand
line) in the 19th century as a result of an agreement between the then British government
in the subcontinent and Afghanistan government.
5. We were facing all these challenges in the face of our very deplorable economic and
military conditions at that time. Our policymakers at that time decided to make defense
alliances with the USA for this purpose being the most influential nation of the time.
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Relations with U.S.A. and USSR (1947-61):

1. The security pacts with the United States (Mutual Defense Agreement and SEATO in
1954, and CENTO in 1955) were against the Soviet Union and China though brought a
lot of economic and military aid to Pakistan but entangled Pakistan in the Cold War
between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
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2. In March 1959 through another bilateral Agreement of Cooperation between Pakistan and
the United States, Pakistan received more military and economic assistance from the
USA by providing an air base to the United States at Badber, near Peshawar, for ten
years.
3. India got the support of the Soviet Union on the Kashmir issue describing it as an integral
part of India. The Soviet Union even vetoed resolutions in UNO asking for a plebiscite in
Kashmir. Both India and the Soviet Union started supporting Afghanistan's irredentist
claims on Pakistani territory.

1962-71:
Pakistan a little bit reviewed its total tilt towards U.S.A in the early 60s on account of two
developments viz: First, Pakistan was upset by the Soviet threat of retaliation when Soviets
downed an American spy plane, U-2 on its territory, which had taken off from Badber air base
near Peshawar. Second, China’s encounter with India over Sikkim in 1962 brought Pakistan and
China near to each other and India and the USA near to each other on the point of ‘enemy of
your enemy is a friend.’ The USA supported India being a counterweight to China.

The U.S. started supplying weapons to India after the China-India border war of 1962.

Pakistan and the Soviet Union entered into some agreements for economic and technical
cooperation including building of first ever steel mill near Karachi. Soviets also offered credit
and technical assistance for oil exploration in Pakistan. With these gesture of goodwill from the
Soviet Union, President Ayub Khan happened to be the first president of Pakistan who paid a
visit to the Soviet Union in April 1965.

The Soviet Prime Minister also offered to help to resolve the problems aftermath the 1965 War
which was accepted by both the belligerents. Accordingly, President Ayub Khan and Prime
Minister of India met in Tashkent in January 1966 and signed a peace agreement (Tashkent
Declaration).

Ayub Khan visited Soviet Union third time in October 1967, and the Soviet Premier, Alexi
Kosygin also paid a visit to Pakistan in April 1968 and May 1969. Two Pakistani military
delegations visited the Soviet Union in June 1966 and July 1968. The Soviet Union supplied
some weapons and transport to Pakistan during 1968-70.

Relations with China get strengthened 1962 onward:

1. Demarcation of Pakistan- China border agreement in March 1963
2. PIA started its regular air service to China in 1964
3. Pakistan also started pleading China’s case for its permanent seat in the Security Council
instead of Taiwan.
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4. The USA was not happy over Pakistan’s growing relations with the Soviet Union and
China. Pakistan also was not pleased over USA's arms embargo on both Pakistan and
India during 1965 war. Such a ban was again imposed on Pakistan when India Pakistan
went to war again in 1971.
5. This all compelled Pakistan to procure weapons and military equipment from non-
American sources like China, France, Great Britain, and West Germany. Pakistan also
started focusing on the indigenous production of weapons. Pakistan in this way moved
away from the policy of alignment with the West to an independent and pluralist one.
6. India played a very crucial role in dismembering East Pakistan in 1971 in the backdrop of
the civil strife in the then East Pakistan.
7. Pakistan played a very important role in bringing about a Sino-American rapprochement
in July 1971 which set the stage for U.S. President Nixon's visit to Beijing in February
1972.

(1972-79)Bilateralism and Nonalignment):

1. Pakistan withdrew from the SEATO in November 1972
2. Pakistan also withdrew from the CENTO in 1979. This policy paved the way for Pakistan
to become the member of the Non-aligned Movement in 1979.
3. Pakistan signed ‘Simla peace agreement’ with India on July 2, 1972. In this agreement
both the countries among other things agreed to resolve their issues including Kashmir
through bilateral negotiations.
4. India detonated a nuclear device in 1974. When Pakistan agreed with France to acquire a
nuclear reprocessing plant in 1976 USA strictly opposed the same. India raised the bogey
of Islamic atomic bomb.
5. When U.S.A discovered that Pakistan was secretly working on setting up uranium
enrichment plant, it suspended all economic assistance and military sales to Pakistan in
1979. This all brought US-Pakistan relations to the lowest ebb.

1979-89: Pakistan - USA partnership on Afghanistan issue:

1. The assistance packages amounted to the US $ 3.2 billion and $ 4.2 billion including 40
F-16 aircraft
2. The US ignored Pakistan’s efforts in the nuclear field to keep Pakistan on board on
Afghanistan issue.
3. In April 1988 Pakistan, Afghanistan, US, and the Soviet Union signed Geneva Accords
according to which Soviet troops were to leave Afghanistan by Feb 15, 1989. After the
withdrawal of the Soviets, the US shifted its interest from Afghanistan and left Pakistan
alone to handle the intra- Afghan conflicts.
4. In 1990 US president refused to certify that Pakistan did not possess any nuclear device.
With this sanctions were again imposed on Pakistan in accordance with the Pressler
Amendment of 1985 in the Foreign Assistance Act.
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1990-2001- Post-Cold War Era:

1. The US imposed additional sanctions on Pakistan when Pakistan detonated nuclear
devices on May 28 and 30, 1998 in response to similar explosions made by India on May
11 and 13.
2. Pakistan’s support to Taliban government in Kabul (1996 to 2001) was also not liked by
the US.

September 11, 2001 incident and aftermath:

September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. had far-reaching effects at the
international level. The United States and its western allies, Russia, and China decided to take
effective measures to counter terrorism on the highest priority basis. The UN General Assembly
condemned the terrorist attacks and called upon its members to join the global efforts for
combating terrorism and not to allow their territories to be used for such activities. The U.S.
identified the Al-Qaeda movement of Osama bin Laden based in Afghanistan as the main culprit
and declared to take punitive military actions against the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan which allowed Al-Qaeda to operate from Afghanistan. Pakistan again came under
the focus of the US attention for the following two reasons:

 Pakistan was supporting the Taliban regime.

 Pakistan shared a long border with Afghanistan, and its support was necessary for any
U.S. military operation in Afghanistan.
Seeing the international mood in the face of the devastation caused by the September 11
incident the government of Pakistan turned its back on the Taliban regime and joined the
international community in its counter-terrorism drive. Pakistan's decision was also influenced
by the UN General Assembly resolutions which called upon its members to support the global
efforts to combat terrorism. Pakistan thus opened its airspace to U.S. aircraft for military
operations in Afghanistan. The military and intelligence authorities of the two countries shared
intelligence on terrorist groups and their activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The U.S. responded by withdrawing sanctions against Pakistan. Pakistan also started
receiving economic assistance from the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank for its
various social development sectors. In December 2001, the Aid to Pakistan Consortium
recommended to its members the rescheduling of Pakistan's debts amounting to the US $ 12.5
billion, for 38 years, including a grace period of 15 years. The U.S. wrote off and rescheduled its
debts. Pakistan also received economic assistance, debt relief and trade concessions from Japan
and the European Union.

However, the U.S. subsequently started accusing Pakistan of not doing more to take strong
action against the Taliban on its side of the border. Taliban carried out many bomb blasts in
Pakistan for its pro American policy resulting in a colossal loss to life and property. NATO
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supply containers passing through Pakistan meant for Afghanistan were also attacked and
destroyed by the Taliban. The USA continued drone attacks in Waziristan areas of Pakistan
against Taliban hideouts. But the collateral damage of the innocent civilians during the drone
attacks was also high. This put a great pressure on Pakistan by the religious parties to revise its
policy towards USA and the Taliban. The USA also accused that many Islamic parties had links
with the Taliban and sympathies for Al-Qaeda.

The USA killed Osama Bin Laden in his hideout compound near Kakul during its
clandestine helicopter operation in 2011. That put Pakistan in a very awkward position. A
subsequent attack of NATO forces on Pakistani force’s Salala check post on Pakistan –
Afghanistan border and killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in 2012 made the relations between USA
Pakistan very bad. A tremendous domestic pressure was built on Pakistan to discontinue NATO
supply from Pakistan, which was done. However, the same was subsequently restored. But the
relations remained extremely strained particularly with the start of Trump regime. However,
seeing that military solution is not proving to be the best option to deal with the Afghanistan
imbroglio it was in January 2019 USA asked Pakistan to use its good offices to bring the Taliban
on negotiation table, and Pakistan played its due role in this regard.

The other reason of these uneasy state of affairs between Pakistan and US is Pakistan’s tilt
towards China, particularly concerning CPEC. As the USA is not happy over Pakistan’s handing
over of Gwadar port to China along with an economic corridor connecting China’s Xinxiang
province through Khunjrab pass in the North for its trade with Gulf, Middle East, Africa, and
even beyond.

Relations with India after 2001:

Indian parliament came under terrorist attack on December 13, 2001. India blamed
Pakistan for this attack hence it moved its troops on the India-Pakistan border and threatened
military action if Pakistan did not contain the activities of the militant Islamic groups operating
in Kashmir. India suspended all air and railroad traffic between the two countries. Pakistan also
responded by mobilizing its troops. However, the war was averted after the diplomatic
intervention of the U.S., the U.K., and the European Union. Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari
Vajpayee, offered dialogue with Pakistan on April 18, 2003, which was readily accepted by
Pakistan. Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf also talked of flexibility in Pakistan's
traditional stand on Kashmir by suggesting that Pakistan would be willing to go beyond the
stated position and that he expected similar flexibility from the Indian side. He said:

“We are for UN resolutions [on Kashmir]. However, now we have left that aside. If we want to
resolve this issue, both sides need to talk to each other with flexibility, coming beyond stated
positions, meeting halfway somewhere ... We are prepared to rise to the occasion, India has to be
flexible also.”
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Nothing moved forward on Kashmir and other issues as India did not express any flexibility.

Pakistan's Relations with China and Russia:

Pakistan's relations with China expanded greatly. China provided economic assistance
and technological know-how for various development projects including the Gwadar deep sea
port. It also sought Pakistan's cooperation for containing Islamic separatist movement in the
Xinjiang Muslim majority province.

Russian concerns were with respect to the reported linkages between the dissident
elements in Chechnya and the militant Islamic groups based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Russia,
therefore, supported Pakistan's efforts to contain militant groups based in the areas adjacent to
Afghanistan.

Pakistan maintained cordial relations with the Muslim states, especially those located in
the Gulf region. It always supported the Palestinian cause and the two-state formula for enduring
peace in the Middle East.

Conclusion:
After going through the historical review of the foreign relations of Pakistan, one thing
comes to surface that in the international politics friends and foes are not permanent. These are
the ‘national interests’ which are supreme and permanent. It will not be difficult to find out that
through out of our political history USA came near to us and extended economic and military
assistance when it needed us to address its issues and observed that the same could not be
realized without the help of Pakistan. Likewise, it went away when we were of no use to her.
Therefore blaming the USA for not coming to us in our difficult moments when it was not in her
interests is not a rationalized approach. It is a proven lesson of history that a successful foreign
policy or winning over friends on permanent bases depends merely on how much we are
beneficial for others? What is our level of contribution to the world’s economy? How much other
countries depend on us for their needs (whether in the form of our investment in other countries
or their investment in our country)? We must have a strong belief that it is strength of economy,
defense capability, capacity of strengthening other’s defense capability, internal cohesion and
solidarity, condition of internal safe and secure environment, scientific, technological and
research level, law and order situation, social justice, performance of various institutions, respect
for democracy and opposition which are the real determinants of winning friends on permanent
basis. When judged on these parameters it will not be difficult for us to find out the reasons why
we could not enjoy the requisite political respect in the comity of nations in the time of need?
This criterion will also help us to foresee our future world politico-economic interactive scenario.

In the wake of those above it will be in the fitness of the things to set our house in order
first, planning and putting the country on the road to progress, as ASEAN, China, and India in
our vicinity have done.
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Pakistan must keep up its current policy of disdaining and condemning terrorism in all its
forms in total alignment with the global efforts. Up till now, it has not only checked the foreign
investment in Pakistan but also compelled the local investors to take the capital abroad. Pakistan
should also try its best to remove any doubt in the international community that it does not
endorse any religious extremism or radicalism. Instead, it believes in forward-looking, tolerant,
moderate, and progressive Islam, which does not encompass any limited or diminished view of
the world and humanity therein.

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