North Korea–Pakistan relations

Pakistan is one of few countries to have diplomatic and economic relationships with North Korea, a single party communist state. The start of relations between the two countries emerged sometime in the 1970s during the democratic prime ministerialship of assassinated Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, when he made a state visit to North Korea as part of his foreign policy campaign to strengthen the relations with socialist states. Pakistan has an Embassy in Pyongyang while North Korea maintains an Embassy in Islamabad, a vast Consulate-General in Karachi, and consulates in other cities of Pakistan.

Trade relations

• Pakistan is said to have had long-time economical relations with the communist regime in Pyongyang since early 1970s.
• Faced with having a weakened economy during the 1990s and China's reluctance to face Western pressure about selling its M-11 missiles, Pakistan sought an alternate supplier. In this case, North Korea.
• It is well known that assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had met with North Korean officials on several occasions during the 1990s to disclose a deal that would give Pakistan access to the North Korean Rodong long-range missiles. In return, Pakistan would supply North Korea with civilian nuclear technology instead of money, due to lack of funds. However, the exchanges between the two nations has been mutually kept rather confidential and secretive. North Korea also has a consulate in Karachi, the largest in the city. As close Chinese allies, North Korea and Pakistan have been cooperating with each other in educational and cultural exchanges. There are many intelligence reports saying that many of North Korean students have been educated from Pakistan's universities, and Pakistanis have expressed a desire to unify the two Koreas into a single political entity.
• India is keen to develop close relations with South Korea from what it perceives as a threat from the Pakistan-China-North Korea relationship^[1]

Allegations of Nuclear Assistance by Pakistan

• Pakistan has been accused by US officials of having secretly supplying North Korea with nuclear technology for military purposes.^[2]
• The CIA claimed to have tracked several air shipments between the two countries via satellite. It is believed that Dr. A.Q. Khan, a senior atomic research scientist, had travelled to North Korea several times and provided crucial technological aid to the North Korean government to create HEU. However, due to technical difficulties, North Korea abandoned its uranium-based programme and focused to develop the relatively easy plutonium programme. As it was seen as evidence, when North Korea conducted nuclear tests (See 2006 North-Korean test and 2009 North-Korean Test) using weapons-grade plutonium, despite Pakistan and other countries made calls to North Korea not to carry out the tests.

2002 scandal

• In 2002, information leaked that Pakistan has been the source of North Korea's recent development in nuclear warheads, according to US intelligence officials.[1]
• Abdul Qadeer Khan was placed under house arrest by the Pakistan government and was made to publicly apologize to the Pakistan public for "embarrassing" the country.
• The Pakistan government declined repeated calls for weapons inspectors to investigate Pakistan's nuclear facilities or any attempts for the CIA to directly question Dr, Khan despite growing Western pressure.

2006 Nuclear test by North Korea

• In November 2006, North Korea tested its nuclear warheads despite world pressure not to do so.[2]
• World attention quickly turned again to Pakistan following the test, however Pakistan's government was quick to point out that the bomb exploded by North Korea was plutonium based as opposed to Pakistan's uranium based weapons.

See also

• Foreign relations of North Korea
• Foreign relations of Pakistan
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
• Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction

References

External links

• Pakistan-North Korea Axis
• Pakistan:The North Korea connection
• The Pakistan-North Korea nuxes
• The Pakistan-North Korea connection
• Pakistan's North Korea links
• WMD trade between North Korea and Pakistan
• A Pakistan-North Korea connection?