THERE has been a lot of talk and hoopla lately about Pakistan’s independent foreign policy as if something ‘new’ is being suggested, or perhaps invented. It is vital to put the record straight.

Claims being made these days that it was only the previous government that had adopted an ‘independent’ foreign policy and because of that the nation is no more a ‘slave to any foreign power’, specifically the United States, is all humbug aimed at misleading the masses.

History bears testimony to that fact that many former heads of state/government in the past took bold decisions in the face of foreign influence and pressure, And, of course, this was done in the national interest.

In 1949, Liaquat Ali Khan recognised China while keeping aside intense pressure from the US. In 1955, Muhammad Ali Bogra attended the Afro-Asia Conference in Bandung even though the US pressure was there not to. In 1956, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy went to China and invited the Chinese prime minister to visit Pakistan even though the US as well as president Iskander Mirza were both against it.

In 1958, Feroze Khan Noon purchased Gwadar which today has become a game-changer. In 1960, Ayub Khan secretly visited Xinjiang by riding a yak to achieve a breakthrough in Pakistan-China relations against the wishes of the US. In 1963, a border treaty with China was signed when the government refused to bow down to the pressure that was being exerted by the US and India. In 1966, Tashkent Declaration was signed with the mediation of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

In 1971, Pakistan became a bridge between China and the US, when Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China was facilitated by Pakistan. And in 1974, Pakistan Steel Mills was established under the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in active collaboration with the Soviets.

In 1979, Pakistan under Gen Ziaul Haq joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in spite of great opposition from the West. In 1998, Pakistan, under Mian Nawaz Sharif, conducted nuclear explosions against stiff opposition from the world at large led by the US and while refusing to pay any attention to the various incentives and aid packages worth billions of dollars that were being offered by the world community.

In 2014, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was launched in the face of severe opposition from Washington and New Delhi. So, when Imran Khan, before being ousted, visited Russia in February this year, it was a continuation of the independent and balanced foreign policy that Pakistan has pursued for long and with great consistency. There was nothing new or daring about it.

Pakistan, despite its inclination towards the West from the very beginning, has pursued a robust and independent foreign policy wherein it was possible for Islam-abad to show the door to two superpowers, become a nuclear power, and achieve a breakthrough in all fields of national life, may it be industry, agriculture, trade, or defence production. This it did while maintaining strong well-led, well-trained, well-equipped and professional armed forces that are second to none. Let’s not forget history in the heat of the moment.

Lt-Col (retd) Syed Iftikhar Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2022