A DETAILED NOTE ON THE KASHMIR ISSUE BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA
Introduction
Kashmir, the last of the defiant states, was the reverse of Hyderabad. It had a Hindu Ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, but his subjects were mostly Muslims, accounting to 77 percent of the total population. The Maharaja was reluctant to join either India or Pakistan. But Lord Mountbatten urged him to take a decision to join either of the states before August 15, 1947. The Maharaja asked for more time to consider his decision. In the meantime he asked the Indian and the Pakistani government to sign a “standstill agreement” with him. Pakistan consented but India refused.
War of Kashmir 1947
The local population of Poonch began to press the Maharaja to accede to Pakistan. In August 1947, they held a massive demonstration to protest against the Maharaja’s indecisiveness. The Maharaja panicked. He asked his Hindu paratroopers to open fire and within a matter of seconds, several hundred Muslims were killed. Rising up against this brutal action, a local barrister called Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim immediately set up the Azad Kashmir government and began to wage guerrilla warfare against the Maharaja. By October 1947, the war of Kashmir had begun in earnest. The Pathan tribesmen from the Noth West Frontier Province, wanting to avenge the deaths of their brothers, invaded the valley. On reaching the valley of Kashmir, they defeated the Maharaja’s troops and reached the gates of Srinagar, the capital.
Maharaja’s Coalition with India
The Maharaja sensing his defeat took refuge in Jammu whence he appealed to India to send troops to halt the onslaught of the tribesmen. India agreed on the condition that Kashmir would accede to India. On October 26, 1947, the Maharaja acceded to India. Lord Mountbatten accepted the accession on behalf of India. On October 26, 1947, India began to airlift her troops to Srinagar and launched a full-scale attack on the tribesmen. Pakistan was stunned. Despite her scant military resources, Pakistan was prepared to send in her troops but the British General Gracey, Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, was against it. Jinnah proposed an immediate ceasefire and later on a fair and free plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir Dispute and United Nations
In January 1948, India took the dispute to the Security Council. There it accused Pakistan of aggression and demanded that Pakistan withdraw her tribesmen. But Pakistan held that the accession of Kashmir had been brought about by force. The government requested the Security Council to arrange a cease-fire and asked both the tribesmen and the Indian troops to withdraw so that a free impartial plebiscite could be held to ascertain the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
Indo-Pakistan War 1948 and United Nation’s Involvement
While the Kashmir issue was still on the table, the Indian troops launched a full-scale attack and drove the tribesmen right back to the Pakistani border. Pakistan rushed her regular troops into Kashmir and a full-scale war with India ensued. She took control of the Azad Kashmir Army. But the Security Council on August 13, 1948 called for an immediate ceasefire the withdrawal of all Pakistani and Indian troops and holding of plebiscite under United Nation’s supervision. Both the Indian and Paksitani government accepted the resolution.
In January 1949, the resolution began to be implemented. In July 1949, the ceasefire line was demarcated. Pakistan’s side of Kashmir consisted of some parts of Jammu, Poonch, some areas of Western Kashmir, Gilgit and a great chunk of Ladakh territory near the Chinese border in the North. India kept the valley of Kashmir, Jammu and the remainder of Ladakh territory near the Tiber border. The cease-fire has remained in existence since 1949. No plebiscite has been held and thus the Kashmir issue still remains disputed and unresolved.
The 1965 War
In April 1965, a clash between border patrols erupted into fighting in the Rann of Kutch, a sparsely inhabited region along the south-western Indo-Pakistan border. When the Indians withdrew, Pakistan claimed victory. Later full-scale hostilites erupted in September 1965, when India alleged that insurgents trained and supplied by Pakistan were operating in India-controlled Kashmir. Hostilities ceased three weaks later, following mediation efforts by the UN and interested countries. In January 1966, Indian and Pakistani representatives met in Tashkent, U.S.S.R., and agreed to attempt a peaceful settlement of Kashmir and their other differences.
The 1971 War Indo-Pakistani relations deteriorated again when civil war erupted in Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding autonomy and independence. In December India invaded East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people. The Pakistani army surrendered at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 became India prisoners of war. East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh on 6th December 1971. Following the 1971 Indo-Pakistan conflict, President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi met in the mountain town of Shimla, India in July 1972. They agreed to a line of control in Kashmir resulting from the December 17, 1971 cease-fire, and endorsed the principle of settlement of bilateral disputes through peaceful means.
Indian Troops and Siachen Glacier 1984
India’s nuclear test in 1974 generated great uncertainty in Pakistan and is generally acknowledged to have been the impetus for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons development program. In 1983, the Pakistani and Indian governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective countries, i.e., Sikhs in India’s Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan’s Sindh province. In April 1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier, a high-altitude desolate area close to the China border left undemarcated by the cease-fire agreement (Karachi Agreement) signed by Pakistan and India in 1949.
Tensions diminished after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in November 1984 and after a group of Sikh hijackers was brought to trial by Pakistan in March 1985. In December 1985, President Zia and Prime Minister Gandhi pledged not to attack each other’s nuclear facilities. In early 1986, the Indian and Pakistani governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier border dispute and to improve trade.
Kashmir Insurgency 1990
Bilateral tensions increased in early 1990, when Kashmiri militants began a compaign of violence against Indian Government authority in Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent high-level bilateral meetings relieved the tensions between India and Pakistan, but relations worsened again after the destruction of the Ayodhya Masjid by Hindu extremists in December 1992 and terrorists bombings in Bombay in March 1993. Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of both countries in January 1994 resulted in deadlock.
Diplomatic Push 1996-97
In the last several years, the Indo-Pakistani relationship has veered sharply between rapprochement and conflict. After taking office in February 1997, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moved to resume official dialogue with India. A number of meetings at the foreign secretary and Prime Ministerial level took place with positive atmospherics but little concrete progress. In a speech at the UN, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered to open talks on a non-aggression pact with India, proposing that both nations strike a deal to restrain their nuclear and missile capabilities.
PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH UNITED STATES
Pakistan’s relationship with the West, particularly the United States, was of major importance. Geographically the USA is not a neighbour of Pakistan, but interests of politician, Bureaucracy and Generals have brought both the countries close together. The United States and Pakistan established diplomatic relations in 1947.
Liaquat Ali Khan’s Visit 1950
In 1949, the US Secretary of State extended invitation to the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan for a visit to the United States. The Prime Minister visited USA at the end of 1950. During his visit he tried to identify Pakistan as more near to the West and Islam more near to Christianity than to Communism and begged for economic and military aid.
SEATO and CENTO 1954-55
Pakistan’s relations with the United States developed against the backdrop of the Cold War. Pakistan’s strategic geographic position made it a valuable partner in Western alliance systems to contain the spread of communism. In 1954 Pakistan signed a Mutual Defence Agreement with the United States and subsequently became a member of SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organization) and CENTO (Central Treaty Organization). The U.S. agreement to provide economic and military assistance to Pakistan and the latter’s partnership in the Baghdad Pact CENTO and SEATO strengthened relations between the two nations.
Pakistan as Washington’s Closest Ally
Pakistan 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 military assistance.
1965 and 1971 Wars and United States
The United States suspended military assistance to both the countries involved in the conflict of 1965. However, the U.S. suspension of military assistance during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan was generated a widespread feeling in Pakistan that the United States was not a reliable ally. The United States embargo on arms shipments to Pakistan remained in place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and was not lifted until 1975. Gradually, relations improved and arms sales were renewed in 1975. United States-Pakistani relations preceding the 1971 was were characterized by poor communication and much confusion.
Withdraw from SEATO and CENTO
Following the lost of East Wing, Pakistan withdrew from SEATO. Pakistan’s military links with the West continued to decline throughout Bhutto’s tenure in power and into the first years of the Zia regime. CENTO was disbanded following the fall of the Shah of Iran in March 1979, and Pakistan then joined the Nonaligned Movement. Zia also continued Bhutto’s policy of developing Pakistan’s nuclear capability.
Cease of Economic Assistance
Developing Pakistan’s nuclear capability policy had originated as a defensive measure in reaction to India’s explosion of a nuclear device in 1974. In April 1979, President Jimmy Carter cut off economic assistance to Pakistan, except for food assistance, as required under the Symington Amendment to the Foreign Assistance act of 1961. This amendment called for ceasing economic assistance to those countries that had imported uranium-enrichment technology. Relations between the United States and Pakistan were further strained in November 1979 when protesters sacked the United States embassy i Islamabad, resulting in the death of four persons. The violence had been sparked by a false report that the United States was involved in a fire at the Grand Masjid in Macca.
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and American’s Changed Policy
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 revived the close relationship between Pakistan and the United States. Initially, however the President Carter lifted the ban on aid to Pakistan and in January 1980, offered a package of US$ 400 million economic and military aid to Pakistan which was rejected by General Zia-ul-Haq, who termed it”peanuts”. Under President Ronald Reagan, the United States agreed in 1981 to provide US$ 3.2 billion to Pakistan aimed at helping Pakistan deal with the heightened threat to security in the region and its economic development needs. However, although the Symington Amendment was waived, the amount was subject to the annual appropriation process. A second economic and military assistance program was announced in April 1986, this time for over US$ 4.0 billion, with 57 percent for economic assistance. With U.S, assistance in the largest covert operation in history – Pakistan armed and supplied anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan, eventually defeating the Soviets, who withdrew in 1988.
Pressler Amendment 1985
On October 01, 1990 however, the United States suspended all military assistance and new economic aid to Pakistan under the Pressler Amendment, which required that the President certify annually that Pakistan “does not possess a nuclear explosive device”. For several years, the United States president, with Pakistan’s assurances that its nuclear program was for peaceful uses, was able to make this certification. However, with the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the Cold War, the United States took a harder position on the nuclear weapons issue and President George Bush refused to make the certification required under the Pressler Amendment, and assistance to Pakistan was subsequently terminated. Further, the supply of F-16 jet fighters was also stopped for which Pakistan had already paid $650 million to the US.
Sanctions on alleged transfer of M-11 missiles
Pakistan’s retention of the nuclear option became a defining issue in its relations with the United States. USA another action in regard of the nuclear issue occurred in September 1993 when the US imposed sanctions against China and Pakistan on alleged transfer of M-11 missiles to Pakistan labeling it a violation of the MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime).
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Visit to US 1995
In the background of the number of unresolved issues including nuclear non-proliferation, delivery of F-16s, alleged supply of M-11 missiles by China, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto paid an official visit to Washington in April 1995. The joint statement failed to mention any solution to these issues. Pakistan and US signed in Washington Memoranda of Unterstanding providing for $6 million of investment by American companies in Pakistan.
Brown Amendment 1995
According to US officials the Pressler Amendment was a hurdle in the normalization of Pak-US relations. As a result, on 21st September 1995, the US Senate under Clinton Administration passed the Brown Amendment to lessen its negative impact. The amendment opened the way for 28 undelivered F-16s to be sold to a third country and the money refunded to Pakistan, release of $368 million worth defense equipment, restoration of corporation in such areas as narcotics control, international terrorism, peace keeping and the availability of US insurance cover for investment made in Pakistan.
Nuclear Weapon Tests 1998
India’s decision to conduct nuclear tests in May 1998 and Pakistan’s matching response set back U.S. relations in the region. President Clinton’s visit to Pakistan scheduled for the first quarter of 1998 was postponed and under the Glenn Amendment, sanctions restricted the provisions of credits, military sales, economic assistance and loans to the government. An intensive dialogue on nuclear nonproliferation and security issues was initiated with discussion focusing on CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) signature and ratification. Pakistan declared that it would sign the treaty only when India did so first.
Nawaz Sharif’s Meeting with President Clinton 1998
The relations improved a little after the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with President Clinton in Washington in December 1998. As a consequence, the economic sanctions imposed by the US after the Nuclear Test were eased. A notable achievement was a resolution of the F-16s issue and accordingly US released $436.7 million to Pakistan as a claim in connection with the F-16 aircrafts. But the October 1999 overthrow of the democratically elected Sharif government triggered an additional layer of sanctions with include restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance. U.S. Government assistance to Pakistan was limited mainly to refugee and counter-narcotics assistance.
PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH INDIA
Since partition of the sub-continent in 1947, relations between Pakistan and India have been characterized by rivalry and suspicion. The animosity has its roots in religion and history, and is epitomized by the long-running conflict over the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Historical Background
The Indian Sub Continent was partitioned into Hindu-dominated India and the newly created Muslim state of Pakistan after India’s independence from Great Britain in 1947. Severe rioting and population movement ensued and an estimated half a million people were killed in communal violence. About a million people were left homeless. Since partition, the territory of Jammu and Kashmir has remained in dispute with Pakistan and India both holding sectors.
First Indo-Pakistan War 1947-49
At the time of partition, the princely state of Kashmir, though ruled by a Hindu Maharaja, had an overwhelmingly Muslim population. When the Maharaja hesitated in acceding to either Pakistan or India in 1947, some of his Muslim subjects, aided by tribesmen from Pakistan, revolted in favor of joining Pakistan.
The first Indo-Pakistan war started after armed tribesmen from Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province invaded Kashmir in October 1947. Besieged both by a revolt in his state and by the invasion, the Maharaja requested armed assistance from the Government of India. In return he acceded to India, handling over powers of defense, communication and foreign affairs. Both India and Pakistan agreed that the accession would be confirmed by a referendum once hostilities had ceased. In May 1948, the regular Pakistani army was called upon to protect Pakistan’s borders. Fighting continued throughout the year between Pakistani irregular troops and the Indian army. The war ended on 1st January 1949 when a ceasefire was arranged by the United Nations which recommended that both India and Pakistan should adhere to their commitment to hold a referendum in the state. A ceasefire line was established where the two sides stopped fighting and a UN peacekeeping force established. The referendum, however has never been held.
The 1965 War
In April 1965, a clash between border patrols erupted into fighting in the Rann of Kutch, a sparsely inhabited region along the south-western Indo-Pakistan border. When the Indians withdrew, Pakistan claimed victory. Later full-scale hostilites erupted in September 1965, when India alleged that insurgents trained and supplied by Pakistan were operating in India-controlled Kashmir. Hostilities ceased three weaks later, following mediation efforts by the UN and interested countries. In January 1966, Indian and Pakistani representatives met in Tashkent, U.S.S.R., and agreed to attempt a peaceful settlement of Kashmir and their other differences.
The 1971 War Indo-Pakistani relations deteriorated again when civil war erupted in Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding autonomy and independence. In December India invaded East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people. The Pakistani army surrendered at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 became India prisoners of war. East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh on 6th December 1971.
Indian Troops and Siachen Glacier 1984
India’s nuclear test in 1974 generated great uncertainty in Pakistan and is generally acknowledged to have been the impetus for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons development program. In 1983, the Pakistani and Indian governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective countries, i.e., Sikhs in India’s Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan’s Sindh province. In April 1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier, a high-altitude desolate area close to the China border left undemarcated by the cease-fire agreement (Karachi Agreement) signed by Pakistan and India in 1949.
Tensions diminished after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in November 1984 and after a group of Sikh hijackers was brought to trial by Pakistan in March 1985. In December 1985, President Zia and Prime Minister Gandhi pledged not to attack each other’s nuclear facilities. In early 1986, the Indian and Pakistani governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier border dispute and to improve trade.
Kashmir Insurgency 1990
Bilateral tensions increased in early 1990, when Kashmiri militants began a compaign of violence against Indian Government authority in Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent high-level bilateral meetings relieved the tensions between India and Pakistan, but relations worsened again after the destruction of the Ayodhya Masjid by Hindu extremists in December 1992 and terrorists bombings in Bombay in March 1993. Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of both countries in January 1994 resulted in deadlock.
Diplomatic Push 1996-97
In the last several years, the Indo-Pakistani relationship has veered sharply between rapprochement and conflict. After taking office in February 1997, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moved to resume official dialogue with India. A number of meetings at the foreign secretary and Prime Ministerial level took place with positive atmospherics but little concrete progress. In a speech at the UN, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered to open talks on a non-aggression pact with India, proposing that both nations strike a deal to restrain their nuclear and missile capabilities.
Nuclear Rivalry 1998
The arms race between the rivals escalated dramatically in the 1990s. In May 1998, India conducted underground nuclear tests in the western desert state of Rajasthan near the border with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan conducted six tests in Balochistan. In the same year, Pakistan test its longest range missile, the 1,500 km (932 mile) Ghauri missile, named after the 12th Century Muslim warrior who conquered part of India. Both sides were heavily criticized by the international community for the tests as fears of a nuclear confrontation grew.
The United States ordered sanctions against both countries, freezing more than $20bn of aid, loans and trade. Japan ordered a block on about $1bn of aid loans. Several European countries followed suit, and the G-8 governments imposed a ban on non-humanitarian loans to India and Pakistan. The UN Security Council condemned India and Pakistan for carrying out nuclear tests and urged the two nations to stop all nuclear weapons programmes.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee Visit to Pakistan 1999
The relationship improved markedly when Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee traveled to Lahore for a summit with Sharif in February 1999. There was considerable hope that the meeting could lead to a breakthrough. They signed the Lahore accord pledging again to “intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Kargil Conflict 1999
Unfortunately, in May 1999 India launched air strikes against Pakistani backed forces that had infiltrated into the mountains in Indian-administrated Kashmir, north of Kargil. Pakistan responded by occupying positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control in the remote, mountainous area of Kashmir near Kargil threatening the ability of India to supply its forces on Siachen Glacier. By early summer, serious fighting flared in the Kargil sector. The infiltrators withdrew following a meeting between Prime Minister Sharif and President Bill Clinton in July. Relations between India nad Pakistan have since been particularly strained, especially since the October 12, 1999 coup in Islamabad.
PAKISTAN FOREIGN RELATIONS USA
FAILURES
- Pakistan was not happy on the US stance of supporting united India during the Second World War.
- Pakistan was not initially recognized by the USA.
- Pakistan was not happy with USA when it gave arms to India during the Indo China War of 1962.
- Pakistan had thought that these arms were to be used against Pakistan. USA did not support Pakistan openly during the 1965 war.
- Instead it stopped the supply of Arm to Pakistan.
- Pakistan had to face an arms embargo during 1967, meaning that the supply of US arms was suspended.
- Pakistan was upset when USA openly refused to give any support to Pakistan in the
- Bangladesh episode.
- USA showed serious concerns over the commencement of the nuclear Program of Pakistan. After the end of the Afghan Miracle Pakistan was again seen as an un trusted ally and the aid to Pakistan was suspended even before the complete withdrawal of the Russian Forces. It was around the end of 70’s when Zia took over and Pakistan’s international credibility fell again.
- US authorities were again unhappy with Pakistan on the crime of over throwing a democratic government.
- In March 1986, the two countries agreed on a second multi-year (FY 1988–93) $4-billion economic development and security assistance program. On October 1, 1990, however, the United States suspended all military assistance and new economic aid to Pakistan under the Pressler Amendment, which required that the President certify annually that Pakistan “does not possess a nuclear explosive device.”
- The Pakistan US relations were further deteriorated when Nawaz Sharif came to power in 1990 and extended his anti west policies, as he was himself the legacy of Zia’s rule.
- The US aid to Pakistan was literally suspended during the first regime of Nawaz and serious questions were raised about the nuclear capability of Pakistan.
- The Pak US relations were again dented when Benazir Government accepted the Taliban regime of Afghanistan in 1995 as the Taliban were purely anti US.
- The relations hit low ebb in 1998 when Pakistan, ignored all the international pressure in general and US in particular and tested her nuclear devices in reply to the Indian tests in May earlier.
- Pakistan’s insistence of not signing the CTBT until India does was probably the last nail in the good relations of the US with Pakistan.
- Further deteriorations were seen when General Pervez over threw Nawaz Shairf’s government in 1999 October and Washington showed clear disliking about this act of the army yet again in Pakistan.
SUCCESSES
- Pakistani PM M Liaquat Ali Khan received an invitation to visit USA.
- Pakistan accepted it as it needed a powerfully ally in the world to get military, economic and technological assistanc
- Pakistan signed the Anti communist pacts of SEATO AND CENTO in 1955 after it had signed the famous BAGHDAD P
- Pakistan remained a favored ally of the British through out the 60’s .
- Eisen Hower visited Pakistan in 1959, surprising during the reign of an army dictator, Ayub Khan , despite the US claims of condemning the military regi
- Pakistan went out of the way to support the US on the U-2 incident in 1960 and subsequently became the victim of the fury of USSR in the process.
- USSR attacked Afghanistan on December 2 1979 and Pakistan subsequently decided to become the front line state in war against communism.
- Pakistan became the darling of the international community as it was fighting against the devastating USSR.
- PK became the second larges recipient of the US aid in 80’s.
- A lot of technical assistance was given to Pakista
- Pakistan was pampered enough reject an aid of US$ 300 million, considering it to less for the effort they were putting in.
- The US officials often visited the affected areas of Pakistan, particularly Peshawar to boost the Afghan and Pakistan sold
- The relations started improving with the arrival of Benazir Bhutto in the office of the Prime Minister as she promoted pro US
- She continued to seek the help of US on the Kashmir issue to mediate and resolve the matter
- The US president Bill Clinton visited Pakistan in 1998 to show solidarity to Pakistan on various issue including the Kashmir
USSR
FAILURES
- The Pakistani PM went to US rather than USSR which straight away created a rift between both the countries.
- Pakistan was not happy when USSR supported India on the Kashmir issue.
- The USSR was also supporting the Pakhtoonistan cause of the Afghanistan which was yet an other disliked issue to Pakistan
- The USSR offered Pakistan to take the steel Mills but was refused.
- The USSR was furious on the Pakistani decision of signing SEATO and CENTO by 1955.
- The USSR was extremely unhappy when the shot down plan U-2 flew from the US air base in Peshawar. USSR clearly threatened Pakistan to destroy the base if Pakistan was found guilty of helping the US in any such regards.
- In 1971 the USSR was supporting India and even threat China to attack if it ever tried to help Pakistan in the war.
- The relations hit the lowest ebb when Pakistan decided to become the front line state in the war against communism.
- The USSR was furious and went on to attack the border areas of Pakistan through out the war between 1979-1988.
- When Zia tried to attend the funeral ceremony of the Russian president Andropov in 1984 but he was not entertained.
- When the Geneva Accord was signed in 1988, the relationship between the two countries became worst and the by the time USSR was disintegrated and the Russian blamed Pakistan for the tragedy.
SUCCESSES
Pakistani PM Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan received an invitation to visit USSR before any other country.
- The USSR accepted Pakistan and voted in favour to become a member of the
- In 1963 Pakistan and USSR drew closer because of an away drift between Pakistan and USA due to Indo-China war
- Pakistan was given 11 million pound aid by the USSR in 196
- USSR remained neutral during the India Pakistan war in 1965 which was sigh of relieve for Pakistan.
- USSR continued to force Pakistan to close down the Peshawar Air base what Pakistan agreed in 1968.
- ZAB improved the relations as he had an anti west policy which kept him away from the
- Pakistan was given the Steel Mills in 1972 by the USSR which further improved the relations
- The relationship remained warm through out the ZAB
AFGHANISTAN
FAILURES
- Afghanistan became the only country to vote against Pakistan’s inclusion in the UNO 1947. Afghanistan claimed that some areas of the present day Pakistan had actually been a part of the Greater Afghanistan (Pakhtoonistan)
- They claimed this because they believed that these were the areas which were captured by
- the Afghan invaders like Mahmood Ghaznavi and Mohammad Ghauri.
- Afghanistan clearly backed India on the Kashmir issue and the Canal water dispute.
- Jinnah invited a meeting of the Afghan officials in Karachi in 1947 and offered a trade transit route. Against this offer Jinnah expected the Afghanistan to give up their claims of Pakhtoonistan.
- The Afghan government refused to accept this offer.
- The relations further deteriorated when the Afghan mob burnt the Pakistan embassy in Kabul. The Afghan government did not take any actions against the suspects and subsequently the diplomatic ties were broken.
- The Afghan government remained neutral during the Indo-Pak war of 1965 despite the fact that the people remained on Pakistan’s favour.
- The Afghan government supported the Indians officially during the 1971 war.
- The pro communist regime of Dr Najeeb continued to blame Pakistan for the insurgency and the poor law and order situations with in Afghanistan.
- The Indian influence in Afghanistan was yet an other reason for the poor relations between the two bordering countries.
- The first major step towards better relation ship between the two countries was taken in 1956 when Iskandar Mirza went to visit Afghanistan.
- ZAB Islamic socialism also targeted Afghanistan and he visited Afghanistan. Sardar Daud, the Afghan PM also visited Pakistan on numerous occasions.
- The friendship continued even after the execution of ZAB because the ZIA believed that a
- peaceful and strong Afghanistan ensured a secured Pakistan.
- Afghanistan was attacked by the USSR in 1979 and Pakistan decided to help the Afghan brothers.
- The Pakistan government invited 3.5 million Afghanis and hosted them.
- Pakistan’s support to the Afghanistan Mujahideen was immense.
- Pakistan was even a victim of the Russian fury and was attacked on very frequent basis. Pakistan catered all sorts of the needs of the Afghanis through out this era.
- The civil war between 1988-1995 was a tough period for Afghanistan and Pakistan
- supported them in all aspects.
- The government of Pakistan accepted the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the first embassy was opened in Islamabad.
- The foreign ministers of both the countries paid bi lateral visits and trade was improved.
- The Taliban government continued to support Pakistan on the Kashmir issue for the first time in the history.
INDIA 1947-1971
FAILURES
- The refugee problem soon after the independence
- The Canal water dispute remained a major cause of poor relations as long as the IWT was signed.
- The division of financial and military assets.
- The Kashmir issue was one of the strongest reasons for the rift between the two countries. The hostility between the two countries continued through out the 1950’s.
- The Indo China war and the support rendered by Pakistan to China further drifted both the countries away from each other.
- The Runn of Kutch issue in the borders areas in the south eastern region created a war like situation between the two nations.
- Pakistan tried to uprise the Kashmiris against the Indian authorities to liberate them from India, however the attempt was a failure due to the lack of support from the Kashmiris. Pakistan and India went to a large scale war in 1965 which was a major failure.
- The Agartala Conspiracy was blamed on India as it was an attempt to create a situation in East Pakistan.
- The RAW was established in 1967 and Pakistan blamed it for insurgency in East Pakistan. The support for the East Pakistan and later the creation of Mukti Bahini further deteriorated the relations between the two countries.
- India was the first country to accept the state of Bagladesh and Pakistan threatened to break the diplomatic ties with India.
SUCCESSES
- Pakistan’s inclusion in the UNO was supported by India.
- Liaquat Nehru Pact signed in 1951 regarding the safe guard of the minorities on both sides of the border.
- Both India and Pakistan joined the CENTO and SEATO in 1955.
- The Indus Water treaty was signed in 1960 to resolve the canal water dispute.
- The Tashkent agreement was signed between Pakistan and India in order to cease fire.
INDIA 1972-1999
India tested her nuclear device in 1974 in the border town of Pokhran and sent a very clear message of attempting to dominate the region on the basis of the nuclear edge.
Pakistan responded sharply and announced her nuclear program. The Pakistan PM Mr. ZAB said that Pakistan will get the nuclear powers even if it has to eat grass. This showed the Pakistan government’s commitment towards the goals of attaining Nuclear power.
In 1983, the Pakistani and Indian governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective countries, i.e., Sikhs in India’s Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
The relations of both the countries deteriorated sharply when India blamed Pakistan to help the Sikh Separatist Movement in the Indian Punjab. Pakistan however did not show any signs of helping the Khalistan Movement during the 1980.
Following the incidents in Amritsar (the Operation Blue Star), one of the Sikh body guards of the Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indra Gandhi gunned her down in October 1984. The son of Mrs. Indra, Mr, Rajiv Gandhi blamed Pakistan for the assassination of her mother.
The relations were strained during 1987, when the border skirmishes between the two countries continued and almost led to a large scale war when India started her large scale military exercise in the Rajhistan desert.
The Pakistan government continued to claim Kashmir and the Siachin glacier that kept the situation heated between the two countries.
The destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ajodhiya, India in December 1990 further dented the relations between the two governments.
The relations between India and Pakistan remained cold on the issue of the Signing the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.
Bilateral tensions increased in early 1990, when Kashmiri separatists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir backed by the Pakistan’s ISI perpetrated violence in Indian Kashmir. However Pakistan secretly occupied certain border areas forces in Kashmir. By early summer, serious fighting flared up in the Kargil sector. The fighting lasted about a month till the Pakistani forces were driven out of the areas that had been secretly occupied by them.
SUCCESSES
- Tensions diminished after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in November 1984 and after a group of Sikh hijackers were brought to trial by Pakistan in March 198
- Pakistan and India became the members of the SAARC in 198 This organization was not only to improve the economic conditions of the member countries but also to avoid the wars between them.
- The sporting relations between the two countries were resumed and the Cricket and the hockey teams visited across the border
- Both the countries exchanged the group of actors and laid emphasis on joint productions for the healthy cinema.
- The SAF games were held in 1988 in Pakistan and India participated with full enthusiasm in the
- In December 1985, President Zia and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi pledged not to attack each other’s nuclear faciliti A formal “no attack” agreement was signed in January 1991.
- In 1986, the Indian and Pakistani governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier border dispute and to improve trade
- Subsequent high-level bilateral meetings relieved the tensions between Pakistan and India, but relations worsened again after terrorist bombings in Bombay, in March 1993. Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of both countries in January 1994 resulted in deadlock.
- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moved to resume an official dialogue with India. A number of meetings at the foreign secretary and Prime Ministerial level took place, with positive atmospherics but little concrete progress. The relationship improved markedly when Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee traveled to Lahore for a summit with Sharif in February 1999.
CHINA
Pakistan did not accept the communist regime of China till 1951.
The relations remained strained when Pakistan became a part of the anti communist pacts SEATO and CENTO in 1955.
The Chinese government did not help Pakistan on the East Pakistan issue and urged the Pakistan government to resolve the issue internally.
The support of China on the matter was also missing as the pressure from USSR was far bigger than the friendship with Pakistan.
The Chinese government was not also much pleased when Pakistan backed out from the Kargil Hill on the US pressures rather than banking on the Chinese support and defeating India.
The first break came when India and China went on war on the borders disputes and Pakistan and China came closer.
- Both the countries had found a common foe and therefore the coexistence became more
- Pakistan accepted a $60 million interest free loan from the Chinese gover,
- PIA became the first air line to start regular service to Beijin
- Pakistan also negotiated the talk between the Chinese and the US government in the early 60’s.
- The positive stance of Pakistan on the communist regime issue of China helped Pakistan earn a strong strategic ally and a great support on the Kashmir issue.
- Pakistan became a closer friend of China when it helped Pakistan in the war against India in 1965.
- Pakistan became an important purchaser of the Chinese arms after the 1965 w
- ZAB paid visit to China and convinced the Chinese government to convert the loans to aid that had been given to Pakistan in the past few
- Pakistan and China came closer as they announced the expansion of the famous silk rout. The Chinese expertise and the collaboration with Pakistan finally resulted in the Karakoram Highway.
- The relations hit the highest points when both the countries signed the treaty for nuclear cooperation in 1986.
- China continued to extend her support for the Pakistan government over the Afghanistan issue.
- In the 1990s, China designed and supplied the heavy water Khusab reactor, which plays a key role in Pakistan’s production of plutonium. A subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation also contributed in Pakistan’s efforts to expand its uranium enrichment capabilities by providing 5,000 custom made ring magnets, which are a key component of the bearings that facilitate the high-speed rotation of centrifuges.
- China also provided technical and material support in the completion of the Chasma Nuclear Power Reactor and plutonium reprocessing facility, which was built in the mid 1990s.
- China has also launched Pakistan’s first satellite to orbit in 1990 because Pakistan had no Spacepor However, Pakistan does have a space program. Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) is Pakistan’s national space agency and was established in 1961.
- A 300-megawatt nuclear power plant, built with Chinese help in Punjab province, is c China is helping to build a second 300-megawatt nuclear plant due to be finished by 2010.
