Foreign Policy of Pakistan During Bhutto Era:

After assuming power, Bhutto sought to diversify Pakistan's relations away from the
United States and, soon Pakistan leftCENTO and SEATO. Bhutto developed close and
strengthened the Arab relations, and Sino-Pak relations. Bhutto in believed an
independent Foreign Policy which had hitherto been the hand maiden of the Western
Power, particularly independent from the United States' sphere of influence. With Bhutto
as Foreign minister, and Prime minister, Pakistan and Iran had cemented a special
relationship, as Iran had provided military assistance to Pakistan. The Sino-Pak relations

were immensely improved, and Pakistan, under Bhutto, had built a strategic relationship
with People's Republic of China, when PRC was isolated. In 1974, Bhutto hosted the
second Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in 1974 where he delegated and
invited leaders from the Muslim world to Lahore, Punjab Province of Pakistan Bhutto
was a strong advocate of Afro-Asian Solidarity and had cemented ties with Afro-Asian
and Islamic countries and by 1976 had emerged as the Leader of the Third World .
East Asia
Since the 1960s, Bhutto had been an anti-SEATO and preferred a non-aligned
policy.Soon after assuming the office, Bhutto took a lengthy foreign trip to South East
Asia, seeking closer and tighter relations with Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Burma,
and North Korea. His policy largely followed a tight and closer relations with China,
normalised relationships with Soviet Union, built an Islamic bloc, and advocated a
creation of new economical alliance largely benefiting the third and second world
countries.
All of these initiations and implications had disastrous effects on Japan, prompting
Japan to oppose Bhutto, although Bhutto was a great admirer of Japan even though
Japan was not a constituent part of Bhutto's foreign policy. In the 1970s, Japan
made several attempts to get close to Bhutto, sending its military officials, scientists,
and parliamentary delegations to Pakistan. Hence Japan went far by condemning
India for carrying out a nuclear test, Smiling Buddha, in 1974, and publicly supported
Pakistan's non-nuclear weapon policy and pledged to built several new nuclear
power plants. In 1970, Bhutto advised Japan not to be party of NPT, but Japan
signed it but later regretted for not being properly progressed.
In Bhutto's view, Japan had been under the United States' influence, and much
bigger role of Japan in Asia would only benefit American interests in the region. By

the 1970s, Japan completely lost its momentum in Pakistan as Pakistan followed a
strict independent policy. Bhutto envisioned Pakistan's new policy as benefiting the
economic relations rather than the military alliance which also affected Japan's
impact on Pakistan. However, much of the foreign policy efforts were reverted by
General Zia-ul-Haq and ties were finally restored after Bhutto's execution.
Arab world and Israel
Bhutto sought to improve Pakistan's ties with the Arab world, and sided with the Arab
world during the Arab-Israeli conflict.Colonel Gaddafi of former Socialist
Libya considered Bhutto as one of his greatest inspirations and was said to be very
fond of Bhutto's intellectualism. In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, Pakistan's
relations with the Arab world represented a watershed. [67] In both Pakistan and the
Arab world, Pakistan's swift, unconditional and forthright offer of assistance to the
Arab states was deeply appreciated.In 1974, pressured by other Muslim nations,
Pakistan eventually recognised Bangladesh as Mujib stated he would only go to the
OIC conference in Lahore if Pakistan recognised Bangladesh. [67][70]Pakistan
established full diplomatic relations with Bangladesh on 18 January 1976 and
relations improved in the following decades. [63] Bhutto aided the Syrian and Egyptian
Air Force by sending the PAF and Navy's top fighter pilots where they flew combat
missions against Israel. However, Iraq was not benefited with Bhutto policies.
In spite of troubled relations with Israel, Bhutto had made it clear to Israel that his
policy against Israel is not based on "antisemitism", but the issue of independent
Palestine that prompted Pakistan to oppose Israel.In early 1977, Bhutto decided to
use ISI to provide the credible intelligence on Iraqi nuclear program that Pakistan
and the ISI had secretly gained.The government passed intel that identified Iraqi
nuclear program and the Osirak Nuclear Reactor at Osirak to Israel's Mossad.
Helping Israel to infiltrate Iraqi nuclear program was also continued by General Ziaul-Haq as their policy to teach Iraq and Saddam Hussain a lesson for supporting the
Baloch liberation fronts and movements.

United States and Soviet Union

Main articles: Pakistan-United States relations and PakistanSoviet Union relations

In 1974, India carried out a nuclear test, codenamed Smiling Buddha, near
Pakistan's eastern border. Bhutto unsuccessfully lobbied for the United States to
impose economic sanctions on India.[71] However, at the request of Bhutto, Pakistan's
Ambassador to the United States convened a meeting with Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger. Kissinger told Pakistans ambassador to Washington that the test is a fait
accompli and that Pakistan would have to learn to live with it, although he was
aware this was a little rough on the Pakistanis. [71] In 1976, the ties were further
severed with Bhutto as Bhutto had continued to administer the research on
weapons. In 1976, Kissinger immediately travelled to Pakistan to hold a meeting with
Bhutto, offering an expensive package of F-5 jets for PAF.[72] When Bhutto analysed
its technology he was unconvinced of its combat performance, and refused the sale.
[72]

After learning this, Kissinger reportedly used an unorthodox language and

threatened Bhutto while using an inhumane language with many witnessed and
surprised with the language used by Kissinger.[72] In a meeting, Kissinger had told to
Bhutto: "that if you [Bhutto] do not cancel, modify or postpone the Reprocessing
Plant Agreement, we will make a horrible example from you".[72] Dr. Mubashir
Hassan came forward to defend Bhutto and an extensive exchange of acrimonious
words were made between dr. Hassan and Kissinger.[72] The meeting was ended by
Bhutto as he had replied: "For my countrys sake, for the sake of people of Pakistan,
I did not succumb to that black-mailing and threats". [72] Bhutto and his cabinet left
Kissinger and his delegation alone in the room while Bhutto and his cabinet walk
away from the room.[72]
Afghanistan and Central Asia
In 1972, Bhutto initially tried to build friendly ties with Afghanistan but such attempts
where rebuffed in 1973.[76] In 1974, Afghanistan began covert involvement in
Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which became increasingly disturbing for Bhutto's
government.[77] Afghan President Dawood Khan's
controversial Pashtunisationpolicies resulted in Pakistan with gruesome violence and
civil disturbances.[77] TheISI quickly pointed out that President Daud was providing
safe havens and training camps to anti-Pakistan militants and its intelligence agency
had been a main arm of supporting the actions inside Pakistan, including providing
support to Baloch separatists.[78] Therefore, Bhutto's government decided to retaliate,
and Bhutto launched a covert counter-operation in 1974 under the command
of Major-General Naseerullah Babar, who was then Director-General of

the M.I. Directorate-General for Western Fronts (DGWI). According to General

Baber, it was an excellent idea and it had hard-hitting impact on Afghanistan. The
aim of this operation was to arm the Islamic fundamentalists and to instigate an
attack in different parts of Afghanistan.] In 1974, Bhutto authorised a covert operation
in Kabul and the Pakistan Air Force and the members of AI and the ISI successfully
extradited Burhanuddin Rabbani, Jan Mohammad Khan, Gulbadin Hekmatyar,
and Ahmad Shah Massoud to Peshawar, amid fear that Rabbani may be
assassinated. By the end of 1974, Bhutto gave final authorisation of covert operation
to train Afghan mujaheddin to take on Daoud Khan's government. This operation
was an ultimate success.
By 1976 Daud had become concerned about his country over dependence on the
Soviet Union and the rising insurgency, thereon on 7 June 1976, Bhutto paid a threeday state visit to Afghanistan, followed by five-day visit of Daud Khan to Pakistan on
August's last week of 1976. On 2 March 1977, an agreement on the resumption of
air communications between Afghanistan and Pakistan was reached, as relations
continue to improve. Bhutto and Daud made an exchange of official visit to force
Afghanistan to accept the Durand Line as the permanent border. However, these
development were interrupted as Bhutto was removed and Daud Khan was also
overthrown in a military coup shortly after. Western experts viewed Bhutto's policy as
"astute policy" in regards to the border question clearly increased pressure of the
Afghanistan and very likely helped stimulate Afghan governments move towards
accommodation. Whilst the Deputy Afghan Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Ghaus
also admitted before the compromise Afghanistan had been heavily involved inside
Pakistan.