Foreign policy of Pakistan

International Relations · History and regions. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Pakistan's foreign policy has been shaped from the start by the search for security, above all in relation to India, and by the need for economic and military help. Jinnah stated the guiding principle as friendship and goodwill towards all nations. Solidarity with the Muslim world and support for the UN Charter are also stated principles.

The policy is usually studied in phases. In the 1950s Pakistan joined the Western pacts, SEATO and CENTO. In the 1960s, especially after the 1965 war, it moved towards a more balanced, bilateral approach and drew closer to China. In the 1970s it left the pacts and joined the Non-Aligned Movement in 1979.

Relations with India turn on Kashmir and water. Relations with Afghanistan turn on the Durand Line.

Rules to remember

SEATO: based on the Manila Pact of 1954. Baghdad Pact: 1955, renamed CENTO in 1959 after Iraq withdrew.
China: boundary agreement signed in 1963. In 1971 Pakistan was the channel for Henry Kissinger's secret visit to Beijing.
USA and USSR: the U-2 spy plane shot down over the USSR in May 1960 had taken off from Peshawar. The USA suspended military supplies to both Pakistan and India during the 1965 war.
Kashmir: the UN resolutions of 1948 and 1949 called for a plebiscite under UN supervision.
Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, with World Bank help: eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India; western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan.
Tashkent Declaration, January 1966: Ayub Khan and Lal Bahadur Shastri, brokered by the Soviet Union. Simla Agreement, July 1972: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi; disputes to be settled bilaterally and peacefully.
Afghanistan: the Durand Line was drawn in 1893 between Afghanistan and British India. In 1947 Afghanistan cast the only vote against Pakistan's admission to the UN.

Common mistake

Students confuse Tashkent and Simla. Tashkent (1966) followed the 1965 war and had a Soviet mediator; Simla (1972) followed the 1971 war and was a bilateral agreement with no third party.

Worked example

An agreement between Pakistan and India was signed after a war, with no outside mediator, and it said that the two states would settle their differences through bilateral negotiations. Which agreement is it?

The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 did not follow a war and was reached with the help of the World Bank, so it is ruled out.
The Tashkent Declaration of 1966 followed the 1965 war, but the Soviet Union acted as the go-between, so it is ruled out.
The Simla Agreement of 1972 followed the 1971 war, was negotiated directly by the two governments and stresses bilateral settlement.

Answer: The Simla Agreement, 1972.

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