Or sadder .... since we would be at war with ourselves when Russia invaded Pakistan and the Russian funded Pakistani govt aided the 'infidels' externally and fought with the 'believers' internally ...

"Today Pakistan would have been a much happier position " , in my humble reading of the subject , I agree on the concept but not the content in retrospect . Pakistan would have been in that shape Had the 1st prime minister not wowed and in a sort of thrown itself into the lap of USA for ever ( on his 1st very visit ) to suggest to USA president " if you give me protection against Nuclear threat " , I would not bother to raise an army ! " . nuclear threat from whom then in 1949 Certainly not India , Not China , not the UK (who were more than happy to pack and go 2 years ago) certainly not France either , than from Whom , One may ask question ? Who else was an atomic power than . I hope you got the point , you sort of dilly billy decline sort of by not agreeing to the original date and then propose dates which were not suitable to the very host who wanted to come to them and then you board a plane to their adversary and upon there you utter these sort of words to your host ,, then what would have the USSR leadership thought and considered your stance ........ In my humble opinion , what the nation has bore and is still bearing the brunt of USA " do more asking " , was the direct result of that fateful trip and those uttering of the 1st PM of Pakistan . India grabbed the USSR extension of friendship (was Nehro a better politician , one would never know but on the face of it , his policies and shrewd state manship certainly bore much better fruits for the Indian nationalswhich they are even reaping now and look where we have been in those past 65 years after all !) and in contrast , much of our failure and a client state of USA since our nation came into beings , We owe very much what our 1st PM did

Your analysis is correct. Had the trip workedout Pakistan and India would have had a different history and you would still be in Pakistan instead of writing such letters from Canada.

Stop depending on super powers' sympathies. We have everything to sustain ourselves. The only thing lacking is "Will"

Stop depending on super powers' sympathies. Our nation has everything to sustain ourselves. The only thing lacking is the "Will". God helps those who help themselves.

Totally unsubstantiated conclusion based on inadequate analysis.

Syed Sahib, Happiness of a country or a person, does not come from leaning on USA or Soviet Union Or China. It comes from self reliance. Do not depend on any body, but yourself. Alas,Pakistan never understood this simple truth. Not even now. As one of the Pakistani writer( Ibelieve Ayaz Amir) had writeen in Dawn some time ago- " Pakistan always waits for HALWA fro heaven". World had moved on, Pakistan remained stuck in 1947 mentality.

The underlying assumption seems to be that first contact with Soviets would have some how mesmerized them and they would have ignored India for Pakistan. It was all about timing. Alas ! we missed the chance to date the Soviets and India was able to tie the knot. Were things that simple? I do not think so, Soviets would never have ignored India in favor of Pakistan. Sorry in international relations the foot print and size matters

Yeah like Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela are happy ? India is better off not because of close relations with Russia but instead non align movement and self reliance.

As a person who has witnessed PM Liaqat Ali's assassination in Company Bagh itself and who, as a young boy of less than 10 years, went home crying at this dastardly act of a hired killer, fully agrees with the historically correct dates mentioned by Mr. Syed Ahmed. Of course, as they say, we can distort history but cannot change it. Facts are facts.Our enemies wanted us to be perpetual beggars and beggars we are. Our benefactors could be USA, Saudi Arabia or IMF. We will never be allowed to stand alone on our two feet.

Its never too late