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After the Soviet Union completed its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in Februa ry1989, warfare continued between the mujahidin and the Afghan communist governmentin Kabul. The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, however, resultedin a reassessment of Pakistan's foreig n policy, particularly in light of the sweepingrestructuring of central and sout hwest Asia. The Afghan resistance had been unable tounseat the Kabul regime. The heavy burden of the Afghan refugees continued, andPakistan wanted to be in a po sition to establish linkages with the newly emerging CentralAsian republics of t he former Soviet Union. Pakistan decided in early 1992 to press for a political settlement. The communist government in Kabul was ousted in May 1992 andreplaced by a fragile coalition of various mujahidin factions. But the coalition did notinclude the most radical of the Islamist mujahidin leaders, Gulbaddin Hikmatyar.In March 1993, the government of Nawaz Sharif broke red an agreement betweenPresident Burhanuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan and Hikmaty ar, Rabbani's longtimeenemy, to share power in Afghanistan for eighteen months a nd then hold elections. Under the agreement, Rabbani would remain president, Hik matyar would become primeminister, and they would choose government ministers to gether. A cease-fire was also to be implemented. It remains, however, for the ag reement to be ratified by the leaders of allMuslim groups involved in the war. I n 1994 fighting between mujahidin groups escalatedin Kabul, and a new flood of refugees moved toward the Pakistani border. The Former Soviet Union In November 1992, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, and the five former Sovie trepublics of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan c reatedan extended Muslim economic block linking Asia and Europe. As a result, th e expandedEconomic Co-operation Organization (ECO), in terms of geographic terri tory covered, became the largest economic bloc after the European Community. For mer Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif noted in a speech marking the occasion that the ECO "now corresponds tothe boundaries of the ancient area, which brought prospe rity and civilization. . . throughfruitful exchanges along the historic silk rou te. The people of these lands have a sharedhistory and common spiritual and cult ural values." Nawaz Sharif added his belief thatextensive investment in infrastr ucture and encouragement of the private sector were themost important immediate objectives. He noted that Pakistan was building a major highway network to link Central Asia to the Arabian Sea and that its railroads were"poised to link not o nly member states but also ECO with Europe, Russia, and SouthAsia." He added tha t "peace in Afghanistan is essential for political harmony and fruitfulcooperati on in our entire region." Pakistan China Pakistan's desire for maximum balance and diversification in its external relati

ons hasalso led to close relations with China--a valuable geopolitical connectio n. In 1950Pakistan recognized the new People's Republic of China, the third nonc ommunist state4 and the first Muslim country to do so. The deterioration in Sino-Indian relation s thatculminated in the 1962 border war provided new opportunities for Pakistan' s relationswith China. The two countries reached agreement on the border between them, and a roadwas built linking China's Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region with the Northern Areasof Pakistan. China supported Pakistan diplomatically in both its 1965 and 1971 wars withIndia and provided Pakistan with economic and militar y assistance. Pakistan's Chinaconnection enabled it to facilitate the 1971 visit of United States secretary of state HenryKissinger to that country, and in the 1980s China and the United States supplied militaryand economic assistance throu gh Pakistan to the Afghan mujahidin fighting the Sovietoccupation forces. Pakistan's ties with China remain strong, and friendly relations between the two countries continue to be an important fac tor in Pakistan's foreign policy. Middle East Pakistan also maintains close relations with the Islamic countries of the Middle East.These ties are important for religious, strategic, political, and economic reasons. In 1955Pakistan, together with Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, joined the Bagh dad Pact, a securityarrangement later called the Central Treaty Organization (CE NTO) after Iraq'swithdrawal. CENTO was buttressed in 1964 by a regional arrangem ent among Pakistan,Iran, and Turkey called the Regional Cooperation for Developm ent (RCD), and economiccooperation activities overshadowed the security aspects of the countries' relations.CENTO was disbanded in 1979 with the overthrow of Sh ah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi'sgovernment in Iran, and the RCD dissolved. The RCD was effectively revived in 1984 asthe ECO.Pakistan's foreign policy fostered strong er ties with the Middle East through expandedtrade. In addition, Pakistani worke rs employed in the Persian Gulf states, Libya, and Iran provided remittances to Pakistan that were a major source of foreign-exchange earnings.The loss of remit tances caused by the 1991 Persian Gulf War was a serious concern toPakistan. Dur ing the war, Pakistani units were sent to Saudi Arabia as components of themulti national forces. Pakistan has also contributed to the defense systems of several Arabstates, supplying both officers and men. Pakistan has strengthened its Isla mic ties by playing a leading role in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and has alsosupported the Palestinian cause, withholding recognition of I srael.Pakistan's ties with Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states were straine d during the1990-91 crisis in the gulf. Although a member of the United States-l ed internationalcoalition, Pakistan played only a limited role, sending a force of 11,000 troops taskedwith "protecting" religious sites in Saudi Arabia. Nevert heless, during the war a vocalsegment of public opinion in Pakistan supported ou sting the Kuwaiti monarch andapproved of Saddam Husayn's defiance of the United States-led coalition. The then chief of the army staff, General Mirza Aslam Beg, also expressed support for Iraq, resulting infurther embarrassment for Pakistan 's government. Following the Persian Gulf War,Pakistan undertook diplomatic effo rts to recover its position in the region. In addition,many Pakistani expatriate workers returned to their jobs, and cooperative defense training5 activities continued. As a result, Pakistan largely restored its position as an influential player in the region. The United States and the West Although Pakistan's foreign policy has been dominated by problems with India as well as by efforts to maximize its own external support, its relationship with t he West, particularly Britain and the United States, was of major importance. At independence in1947, Pakistan became a member of the British Commonwealth of Na tions. After independence Pakistan retained Britons in high administrative and m ilitary positions.Britain also was the primary source of military supplies and o fficer training. Many of Pakistan's key policy makers, including the nation's fo

unding father, Mohammad AliJinnah, had studied in Britain and had great faith in the British sense of justice. Over theyears, however, there was disillusionment at what Pakistanis perceived as Britain'sindifference toward Pakistan and its f ailure to treat Pakistan fairly in dealings where Indiawas involved. Nevertheles s, Pakistan remained in the Commonwealth even after thecountry became a republic under the constitution of 1956. Pakistan withdrew itsmembership in the Commonwe alth in 1972 to protest the recognition of Bangladesh byBritain, Australia, and New Zealand but rejoined in October 1989 under Benazir's firstgovernment.Pakista n's relations with the United States developed against the backdrop of the ColdW ar. Pakistan's strategic geographic position made it a valuable partner in Weste rnalliance systems to contain the spread of communism. In 1954 Pakistan signed a MutualDefense Agreement with the United States and subsequently became a member of theSoutheast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and CENTO. These agreements pl acedPakistan in the United States sphere of influence. Pakistan was also used as a base for United States military reconnaissance flights over Soviet territory. During the Cold War years, Pakistan was considered one of Washington's closest allies in Asia.Pakistan, in return, received large amounts of economic and milit ary assistance. The program of military assistance continued until the 1965 Indo -Pakistani War whenPresident Lyndon B. Johnson placed an embargo on arms shipmen ts to Pakistan andIndia. The United States embargo on arms shipments to Pakistan remained in placeduring the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and was not lifted until 1975, during theadministration of President Gerald R. Ford.United States-Pakist ani relations preceding the 1971 war were characterized by poor communication an d much confusion. The administration of President Richard M. Nixonwas forced to formulate a public stance on the brutal crackdown on East Pakistanis byWest Paki stani troops that began in March 25, 1971, and it maintained that the crackdownw as essentially an internal affair of Pakistan in which direct intervention of ou tside powers was to be avoided. The Nixon administration expressed its concern a bout humanrights violations to Pakistan and restricted the flow of assistance--y et it stopped short of an open condemnation.6 Despite the United States widely publicized "tilt" toward Pakistan during the 19 71 war,Pakistan's new leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, felt betrayed. In his opinion , the United Statescould have prevented India from intervening in Pakistan's civ il war, thereby saving hiscountry the trauma of defeat and dismemberment. Bhutto now strove to lessen Pakistan'sdependence on the United States.The foreign poli cy Bhutto envisioned would place Pakistan at the forefront of Islamicnations. Is sues central to the developing world would take precedence in foreign affairsove r those of the superpowers. Bhutto called this policy "bilateralism," which impl iedneutrality in the Cold War with equal treatment accorded both superpowers. Bh utto'sdistancing of Islamabad from Washington and other Western links was accomp anied byPakistan's renewed bid for leadership in the developing world.Following the loss of the East Wing, Pakistan withdrew from SEATO. Pakistan's militarylink s with the West continued to decline throughout Bhutto's tenure in power and int o thefirst years of the Zia regime. CENTO was disbanded following the fall of th e shah of Iranin March 1979, and Pakistan then joined the Nonaligned Movement. Z ia also continuedBhutto's policy of developing Pakistan's nuclear capability. Th is policy had originated asa defensive measure in reaction to India's explosion of a nuclear device in 1974. In April1979, President Jimmy Carter cut off econom ic assistance to Pakistan, except for foodassistance, as required under the Symi ngton Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. This amendment called for ceasing economic assistance to nonnuclear weaponcountries that imported uranium -enrichment technology. Relations between the UnitedStates and Pakistan were fur ther strained in November 1979 when protesters sacked theUnited States embassy i n Islamabad, resulting in the death of four persons. The violencehad been sparke d by a false report that the United States was involved in a fire at theGrand Mo sque in Mecca.The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 revived the cl ose relationship between Pakistan and the United States. Initially, however, the Carter administration'soffer the following month of US$400 million in economic and military aid to Pakistanwas spurned by Zia, who termed it "peanuts." Under P

resident Ronald Reagan, theUnited States agreed in 1981 to provide US$3.2 billio n to Pakistan over a period of sixyears, equally divided between economic and mi litary assistance. However, although theSymington Amendment was waived, the amou nt was subject to the annual appropriation process. A second economic and milita ry assistance program was announced in 1986, thistime for over US$4.0 billion, w ith 57 percent for economic assistance. The continuationof the war in Afghanista n led to waivers--in the case of Pakistan--of legislativerestrictions on providi ng aid to countries with nuclear programs. The Pressler Amendment of 1985 requir ed that if the United States president could not certify toCongress on an annual basis that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear weapon, UnitedStates assistance t o that country would be cut off. For several years, the United States president, with Pakistan's assurances that its nuclear program was for peaceful uses, wasa ble to make this certification. However, with the Soviet withdrawal from Afghani stan in1989 and the end of the Cold War, the United States took a harder positio n on the nuclear 7 weapons issue. In 1990 President George Bush refused to make the certification r equiredunder the Pressler Amendment, and assistance to Pakistan was subsequently terminated.After 1990 Pakistan's retention of the nuclear option became a defin ing issue in itsrelations with the United States. Pakistan, like India, consider ed the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons to be discriminatory--a llowing the fiveacknowledged nuclear states to keep their weapons while banning others from joining theclub. Pakistan declared that it would sign the treaty onl y in the unlikely event that Indiadid so first. India refused to join any region al accord as long as China possessed nuclear weapons. Although the United States government continued to push both India andPakistan for a regional solution to the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, Pakistancomplained that it bore the brunt of United States antiproliferation policies.The underpinnings of the long and close security relationship between the United Statesand Pakistan existed a s of early 1994, although the 1954 Mutual Defense Agreement onwhich the relation ship rested was increasingly regarded by some in the United Statesgovernment as outdated--and thus less pertinent to the post-Cold War period. Moreover,despite Pakistan's differences with the position of the United States on nuclear and oth er issues, both countries were determined to maintain friendly relations. International Organizations Pakistan joined the UN on September 30, 1947, and has been an active participant in theUN and its specialized agencies and other bodies, as well as in various s pecialized UNconferences. In 1993 Pakistan was elected to a two-year term on the UN SecurityCouncil. In addition, Pakistani nationals have contributed their ski lls within the UN itself.For example, in 1987, Nafis Sadik, a Pakistani woman ph ysician, became executivedirector of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with the rank of undersecretarygeneral. Pakistan has also been the recipient of assistance from UN developmentorganizations, including the United Nations Develo pment Programme (UNDP) and theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a varie ty of fields such as agriculture, water and sanitation, national planning, and h uman development. The UNDP, for example,allocated more than US$87 million for as sistance to Pakistan for the 1992-96 program period.Pakistan's view of the UN ha s necessarily been conditioned by its own needs andexperience. Although recogniz ing the shortcomings and powerlessness of the UN inmany situations, Pakistan has seen no alternative to the UN as a forum where weaker countries could appeal to the world's conscience against the actions of stronger powers.Consequently, Pak istan has called for solutions to international problems through UNauspices, mos t notably for resolution of the Kashmir issue. Pakistan also played a highlyvisi ble role in UN peacekeeping efforts, contributing more than 7,000 troops to theU nited Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM)--the largest single national conting entto any peacekeeping force in early 1994. Pakistan had troops serving with the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNPROFOR BH) and had 8 participating observers in a number of other UN mission (seeForeign Security Re

lationships , ch. 5).Pakistan's participation in other international organizatio ns, including SAARC and theECO, reflect its desire to be an influential player i n the geographic region of which it is a part. In addition, Pakistan has played a leading role in the OIC, and President Zia wasinstrumental in revitalizing the OIC as a forum for periodic meetings of the heads of Islamic states. Pakistan t hus appears firmly committed to the utility of broadbasedinternational cooperati on. * * * 9 Pakistan Foreign Policy DownloadPrintMobileCollectionsReport Document Info and Rating Business History Business-Annual-Reports Follow fb-502562167 Share & Embed Related Documents PreviousNext 30 p. 24 p. 30 p. 7 p. 45 p. 396 p. 396 p. 61 p. 61 p. 70 p. 70 p. 396 p. 70 p. 6 p. 194 p. 194 p. 194 p. 194 p. 18 p. 1 p. 4 p. 2 p. 4 p. 70 p. 70 p. 70 p. 2 p. 1 p. 1 p. 1 p. 3 p. 2 p. 48 p. 48 p. 48 p. 67 p. 67 p. 67 p. 2 p.

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