Pakistan
shares its border with four neighbouring countries – India, China, Iran and
Afghanistan. Since its inception, Pakistan had the same foreign policy for all
the countries in the world – “Friendship with All”.
“Our
foreign policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards the nations of the
world.”
- Founder
of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah
 |
| Pakistan and its neighbours. Photo: shkazmipk.com |
However, Pakistan’s good intentions were never reciprocated. In its initial years, the two active neighbours it had were India and Afghanistan; they both showed hostility towards Pakistan. They both wanted to claim Pakistan’s land which led to them being a security threat to Pakistan.
After over
seven decades and over seven major phases of foreign policies, Pakistani
relations with the neighbours are still dreadful. India and Afghanistan are
still a major threat to Pakistan’s security while Iran has mostly stayed in the
shadows of Saudi Arabia. But amid these, China has been a ray of sunshine for
Pakistan.
Now that
Pakistan is entering a new era of development, its Foreign Minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi has vowed to put “Pakistan First” in world affairs while
improving ties with India and Afghanistan. Qureshi offered dialogue to India
and Afghanistan to resolve the lingering disputes, saying that “talking peace
is the only option”. He further emphasized the importance of peaceful relations
with the neighbours by stating his intentions to bridge the trust deficit
between Pakistan and other regional countries.
Qureshi, in
his media talk with Afghanistan, shared his intentions to visit Kabul and form
bilateral relations to help aid the future of both countries, since it is
believed to be linked by geography. Next on, moving towards India, Qureshi
insisted that the two countries should engage in a dialogue to resolve the never-ending
tensions between the said neighbours. Even with the current Kashmir issue,
Pakistan wants to solve problems diplomatically through the UN instead of with
war or invasion.
“We are not
just neighbours; we are atomic powers. We know the issues are tough and will
not be solved overnight, but we have to engage.”
- Foreign
Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
While
focusing on the defense side of the policy is important, it is also important
to focus on economic development. This is where China comes in with its CPEC
(China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project. It is a game-changer for Pakistan
and Qureshi is currently in talks with the Chinese ambassador, Yao Jing, on how
to enter the second phase of CPEC which will further the socio-economic
development of Pakistan.
Lastly,
Iran mostly had neutral relations with Pakistan. Its relations with Pakistan
strained at times due to sectarian tensions, as Pakistani Shias claimed that
they were being discriminated against under the Pakistani government's
Islamization programme. But these tensions also took a back seat when Imran
Khan’s government came into power.
Now Pakistan’s
policy is of cooperation for all kinds of bilateral engagement except war. Even
during the most recent U.S.- Iran tensions, Pakistan clearly declared that it
would help everyone establish peace but will not be part of any regional war.
AM
