Foreign Policy of Pakistan: Objective, Basic principles,

challenges, Failure and success.

Introduction:
Foreign policy is a behavioral pattern, which the states adopt to conduct their
diplomatic relations with other countries in the global system. This policy, which is
designed and redesigned by a process consisting of various interrelated stages, is
formulated on the basis of country’s geographical location, human resources,
economy and above all national interest. This is the policy that dictates how a
country will act with respect to other countries politically, economically, socially
and militarily. A country frames its foreign policy in the light of domestic policies.
The foreign policy of Pakistan doesn’t remain static, but it changes according to
time and circumstances. The basic guiding principles of Foreign policy of Pakistan
are its ideology and national integration. Quaid-e-Azam, the first governor-general
of Pakistan laid the guiding principles of Pakistan’s foreign policy in its address to
UN people in February 1948:

“Our foreign policy is one of the friendliness and goodwill towards all nation of the
world. We do not cherish aggressive design against any nation or country. We
believe in the principle of honesty and fair play in national and international
dealings and are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of
peace and stability among the nation of the world. Pakistan will never be found
lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and
suppressed people of the world, and in upholding the principles of the United
Nation Charter”
Key Objectives of the Foreign policy of Pakistan:
In the light of guiding principles laid down by the founding father of Pakistan, the
objectives of foreign policy can be summarized as below:

1. Promote Pakistan as a dynamic, progressive, moderate, and democratic

Islamic country.
2. Developing friendly relations with all countries of the world, especially
major powers and immediate neighbors.
3. Safeguarding national security and geo-strategic interests, including
Kashmir.
4. Consolidating our commercial and economic cooperation with the
international community.
5. Safeguarding the interests of Pakistani Diaspora abroad
6. Ensuring optimal utilization of national resources for regional and
international cooperation.

Factors that determine Foreign Policy of Pakistan:

A foreign policy is determined by keeping several considerations in view. These
considerations are those powerful realities under which that state has to operate.

1. Pakistan Ideology
Our country has an ideological basis. Pakistan was established with a solo
objective of providing south Asia Muslims with a homeland where they can live
with dignity and honor and live their life according to the Islamic principles. The
ideology of Pakistan demands that it should have a friendly relation with all its
neighboring countries and other nations of the world.
 2. Geography
The area which was later demarcated as the state of Pakistan had become an
arena of struggle between the united states of America and Soviet Union. Fall of
the Soviet Union brought far-reaching changes in the world politics, but this
change doesn’t affect Pakistan’s position as the most important country of the
world.

The People's Republic of China, which the new emerging economic super power
of the world, has a friendly relation with Pakistan. Both countries have strong
economic, cultural, technological and financial cooperation. Afghanistan has
undergone rapid changes during the past few decades. Pakistan western neighbor
Iran who is struggling to stabilize its economy due to enormous pressure of
America. India and Pakistan relationship have faced many up and downs, Kashmir
is major conflict between them.

3. National security:
National security is the most important thing in determining the foreign policy of
Pakistan. Pakistan national security is being threatened by India because British
left the Kashmir issue unsolved and three wars have been fought by both
countries. As for as the Kashmir issue is there Pakistan needs to maintain its
national security.

4. Economic Interest:
Pakistan as a developing country is also needed to establish and maintain cordial
relations with those states with whom it can maximize its trade relations or forms
whom it can obtain maximum economic aid.
 5. Relation With US:
Pakistan has a faith in the United Nations and has extended full support to the
united nations actions by contributing military as well as personnel for
implementing its decisions.

6. Islamic solidarity:
Pakistan would pursue its ideological objective and would like to achieve the
objective of Islamic solidarity by promoting its relations with Islamic world and by
preserving its Islamic ideology.

Foreign Policy Success:

1. Pakistan successfully won the broad international support for its program of
poverty alleviation.
2. Its policy has achieved remarkable results in securing debts relief as well as
increased flow of aid and investment.
3. A vital partner in war against terror.
4. The Kashmir cause has gained international attention
5. The spectre of failed state is now overturned
6. Pakistan’s stance on Us drone strike was appreciated by the majority of Un
members and the UNHCR adopted the resolution sponsored by Pakistan
against the use of drone that has termed them as violation of sovereignty
and territorial integrity of victim state.

Foreign Policy failure:

1. Foreign involvement in FATA and our inability to expose them to the
world
2. Kashmir is still lying in the cold storage of the US.
3. The impression that the foreign policy of Pakistan is run by the military
needs to be effectively addressed.
 4. Involvement of RAW and other agencies in Balochistan and our inability
to drag India to UNSC and expose its nefarious design to the world.

Foreign Policy Challenges:

1. FATF grey list.
2. Pakistan need to play leading role on the OIC platform which it hasn’t
played yet.
3. Pakistan is also suffering from Global Warming which needs to be addressed
on international level.
4. Improving relationship with Afghanistan and India is also important.
5. Pakistan also needs to highlight its sacrifices with respect to terrorism and
seek countries help in this regard.
6. Improving the image of country and bring foreign investors is still a
challenge.
7. Normalization of relation with US During the period of Donald Trump and
the government of Imran Khan. Recently us government limit the coalition
support fund to Pakistan.

Pakistan post 9/11 foreign policy:

World politics changed completely after the tragic incident of 9/11 on the World
Trade Centre when the US decided to start the so-called war on terror. The whole
international community supported American stance in the resolutions adopted
by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly. The 9/11 incident
restructured international politics and thereafter occupy center stage in
conducting interstate relations. Pakistan due to its geo strategic location have ties
with Afghanistan, who was ultimately labeled as hub of terrorist activities under
the leader of Usama bin laden. All nations of the world condemn terrorist attack,
including Pakistan. Pakistan was bound to be frazzled in days ahead. US president
Jorge bush in his address to Pakistan said that “Either you are with us or you are
with the terrorists”. Since there is no middle way, therefore Pakistan had to
choose either of the following two choices:

a) To join the US and workout modalities later on.

b) To refuse to submit in clear defiance and be ready for a war.

Pakistan decided to join US in war again terrorism and debited to toe in line with
the onerous demands of the US. Those demands are as follows:

1. To stop al-Qaida operations at its border.

2. To give blanket over flight and landing rights for military operations.
3. To provide intelligence information.
4. To provide territorial access to allied forces.
5. To continue condemn terrorist attack publicly.
6. To serve ties with the Taliban, if Taliban refuse to cooperate.
7. To cut off all shipment of fuel to the Taliban and stop recruits from going to
Afghanistan.

Critical analysis of Pakistan post 9/11 foreign policy:

Now in this context, let us examine the impact in case we had gone for the second
option i-e the cost of non- cooperation. In this case Pakistan had to pay the
following price:

1. The US might have bracketed Pakistan with the Taliban while declaring
Pakistan a terrorist country.
2. Our terrorist would have surely been subjected to furious onslaughts and
airstrikes to neutralize resistance under the pretext of eliminating terrorist
bases.
3. The Kashmir freedom surely have been labeled as a terrorist insurgency.
4. India would have been given green signal to attack KRL as it had rendered
such an attack in 1980s.
Previously Pakistan foreign policy was not remained India-centric. Now the events
in the US and Afghanistan carried much of influence on its foreign policy making.

To main benefits of Pakistan decision to join US in war against terrorism were as

follows:

1. All outstanding debts were rescheduled ad inflow of fresh aid, started

which reinvigorated the economy.
2. Pakistan started to receiving new military hardware including the F-16.
3. US generously denoted to post quake crisis.
4. Bilateral relation with US improved tremendously and on long term basis
unlike on-gain, off-gain like relations in the past.
5. The world became aware of the suffering of the people of Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
6. Pakistan image at international level; was improved.

Therefore, after the critical analysis of pros and cons of the decision it is clear that
Pakistan made an apropos decision. In retrospective analysis, it can be argued that
had there been a mature and stale political setup in Pakistan at that time, it would
have enabled Pakistan to broaden its win-set.

Conclusion:
Since the emergence of the country on the world map in 1947, the foreign policy
of Pakistan has been facing grave challenges. But, the challenges in the 21st
century are far more serious and daunting in nature. The challenges like
globalization, extremism, terrorism and economic decline have impeded the
effectiveness of the foreign policy of Pakistan. Today, the world community
perceives Pakistan as a hub of terrorism. This situation exposes our foreign policy
makers to a situation where they will have to move forward with all caution and
care.