U.S.-Pakistan relations

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Pakistan has long been seen as an ally of the United States. However the relationship is an unusual one.

Contents

[edit] Partion of India from British Raj: 1947 - 1952

After its creation by partitioning of India, Pakistan followed a pro-western policy whereas the Indian government defined its foreign policy with a non-aligned stance. Pakistan was seeking strong friends to counter its bigger neighbour India to pursue the territory of Kashmir.

[edit] Ayub Khan Era: 1952 - 1969

Pakistan joined the US lead military alliances SEATO and CENTO. At the time

[edit] Separation of Bangladesh: 1969 – 1972

President Nixon used Pakistan's relationship with China to start secret contacts with China which resultred in with Henry Kessinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971 while he was visiting Pakistan.

[edit] Bhutto Era: 1972 – 1977

[edit] Zia Era: 1977 – 1988

The Taliban are one of the mujahideen ("holy warriors") groups that formed during the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during 1979 to 1989.

By mid-1980s, Osama Bin Laden moved to Afghanistan, where he established Maktab al-Khidimat to recruit Islamic soldiers from around the world who later formed the basis of an international network. [citation needed]

[edit] Democratic Governments: 1988-1998

[edit] Post 9/11: Role against the war on Terror

On November 6, 2001, US President Bush declared his polity: "You are either with us or against us". President Musharraf later claimed that U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" after the Sept. 11 attacks if Pakistan refused to help America with its war on terrorism.[1]

Musharraf writes in his "In the Line of Fire" [2]:

The next morning I was chairing an important meeting at the Governor's House when my military secretary told me that the U.S. secretary of state, General Colin Powell, was on the phone. I said that I would call back later, but he insisted that I come out of the meeting and take the call. Powell was quite candid: "You are either with us or against us." I took this as a blatant ultimatum. ... our director general of Inter Services Intelligence, who happened to be in Washington, told me on the phone about his meeting with the U.S. deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage. ... told the director general not only that we had to decide whether we were with America or with the terrorists, but that if we chose the terrorists, then we should be prepared to be bombed back to the Stone Age. This was a shockingly barefaced threat, but it was obvious that the United States had decided to hit back, and hit back hard.
I also analysed our national interest. First, India had already tried to step in by offering its bases to the United States. If we did not join the United States, it would accept India's offer. What would happen then? ...
Second, the security of our strategic assets would be jeopardized. ... And India, needless to say, would have loved to assist the United States to the hilt.
Third, our economic infrastructure, built over half a century, would have been decimated.
The ultimate question that confronted me was whether it was in our national interest to destroy ourselves for the Taliban. Were they worth committing suicide over? The answer was a resounding no.


Eric Margolis who had interviewd Musharraf, writes [3]:

Leaked cabinet documents from 10 Downing Street show three months before invading Iraq in 2003, President Bush told British PM Tony Blair that once he finished off Iraq, he planned to `go after’ Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan was in America’s cross hairs.
Every time Pakistan got into trouble with Washington, it would suddenly discover `one of al-Qaida’s top commanders’ and deliver him to the Americans. So far, almost 700 have been sent, in each case for rewards of millions of dollars, as Musharraf unwisely boasted.

Musharraf acknowledges the payments in his book:

"We've captured 689 and handed over 369 to the United States. We've earned bounties totaling millions of dollars"

[edit] References

  1. ^ U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan over war on terror: Musharraf
  2. ^ In the Line of Fire by Pervez Musharraf
  3. ^ Bombing Pakistan back to the Stone Age

[edit] See Also

[edit] External Links

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