Article by: Irum Fawad Executive International Affairs News TN Media News:
The foreign policy of Pakistan seeks to promote the internationally recognized norms of interstate relations, i.e. respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States; non-aggression and peaceful settlement of disputes. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan maintains a large network of diplomatic relations across the world. Pakistan is the second-largest Muslim-majority country in terms of population and is the only Muslim-majority nation to have possession of nuclear weapons.
Pakistan’s economy is integrated into the world with strong trade ties to the EU and economic alliances and agreements with many Asian nations. Pakistan is in a strategic geopolitical location, being situated at the corridor of major maritime and land-based transit routes reaching from the energy-rich regions of Central Asia and the Middle East, to the population centres of South and East Asia. Pakistan also has geostrategic hotspots such as Afghanistan, China, India and Iran as immediate neighbours. Pakistan maintains a tense relationship with India due to the Kashmir conflict, close ties with the People’s Republic of China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab states, and fluctuating relationship with the United States of America due to overlapping interests during the Cold War and War on Terror. Pakistan is a member of the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and more.
International recognition of Pakistan
After Pakistan gained its independence in August 1947, Iran was the first country to recognize its sovereign status. The United States was the first non-Muslim country to recognize Pakistan and France was the first country where Pakistan’s flag was raised. The foreign policy of Pakistan seeks to promote the internationally recognized norms of interstate relations, i.e. respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States; non-aggression and peaceful settlement of disputes. Pakistan is proud of its long-standing and consistent contributions to UN peacekeeping spanning over six decades. Since 1960, over 200,000 of our service men and women have served with honour and valour in 46 UN Missions in almost all continents of the world.
The foreign policy of Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Policy seeks to protect, promote and advance Pakistan’s national interests in the comity of nations” Pakistan’s Foreign Policy seeks to protect, promote and advance Pakistan’s national interests in the external domain. The Foreign Ministry contributes towards safeguarding Pakistan’s security and advancing Pakistan’s development agenda for progress and prosperity following the guiding principles laid out by our founding fathers.
“Our objective should be peace within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and friendly relations with our immediate neighbours and with the world at large. We have no aggressive designs against anyone. We stand by the United Nations Charter and will gladly make our contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world.”
The foreign policy of Pakistan sets out in the way it interacts with foreign nations and determines its standard of interactions for its organizations, corporations and individual citizens. Backed by the semi-agricultural and semi-industrialized economy, Pakistan is the 47th largest (nominal GDP, 2021) and 23rd largest (purchasing) economic power and 6th largest military in the world, with a defence budget of US$11.4 billion (2018) 4.0% of its GDP (2018).
The Foreign Minister of Pakistan is the official charged with state-to-state diplomacy, although the Prime minister maintains ultimate authority over foreign policy. The state’s foreign policy includes defining the national interest, as well as the economic interest and strategies chosen both to safeguard that and to achieve its policy goals. Following the general election held on May 2013, Tariq Fatimi and NSA Sartaj Aziz were designated as advisers to the Prime Minister on foreign and strategic policies. After the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif’s government in July 2017, Khawaja Muhammad Asif held the portfolio of the foreign ministers under the premiership of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. After the victory of Imran Khan Niazi in the Pakistan General Elections 2018, Shah Mehmood Qureshi was named the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After the fall of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition government in 2022, there was much speculation as to who would be the next foreign minister. It ultimately became clear that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (the second largest member of the newly formed coalition government), would serve as foreign minister—a position previously held by his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and an alleged affair partner of his, Hina Rabbani Khar.
Historical overview
Further information: Arab–Pakistan relations, Pakistan–United Kingdom relations, Pakistan–Soviet Union relations, Pakistan–European Union relations, and Uniting for Consensus In 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the state of Pakistan, clearly described the principles and objectives of Pakistan’s foreign policy in a broadcast message, which is featured prominently in a quotation on the homepage of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: “The foundation of our foreign policy is friendship with all nations across the globe.”
Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan’s foreign policy has encompassed difficult relations with the neighbouring Soviet Union (USSR) and maintained a close military and ideological interaction with neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan (in the West) and India (in the East). During most of 1947–1991, the USSR support was given to the Republic of India, over which it has fought three wars in the Kashmir conflict. During the 1960s, Pakistan’s relations with and neighbouring Afghanistan have also been extremely difficult due to the latter’s contest over the Durand Line.
The foreign relations with Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China remain extremely important and based on the extensive cooperation in national security and economic interests in the Persian Gulf and wide-ranging bilateral relations with the United States and other Western countries. With the growing influence of the USSR in the region, Pakistan cemented close security relations with China in Asia and Poland, the United Kingdom and Germany in Europe during most of the Cold War. While Pakistan had “on-off relations” with the United States, Pakistan assisted President Nixon with an approach with China and other East Asian countries. Imran Khan visited Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin as Russia was launching the invasion of Ukraine. He has previously criticized America’s “War on Terror“.
Pakistan’s ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the U.S. has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.
Now what we need for future policy making so we can stand tall among the world, we should be developing friendly relations with all countries of the world, especially major powers and immediate neighbours. – Safeguarding national security and geostrategic interests, including Kashmir. – Consolidating our commercial and economic cooperation with the international community. For a stronger GDP, we should make good changes in foreign policy to achieve the SDG 200 UN Agenda.
