Pakistan in world affairs

What the syllabus asks of you

• How important has Pakistan’s role been in world affairs since 1947? The study of Pakistan’s international relations with other countries should cover economic, social, political and religious aspects. Candidates should study the main features of Pakistan’s relations with other countries (listed below), together with the aims of Pakistan’s foreign policy and emerging nuclear status.
• How has Pakistan developed as a nuclear power?
• How successful has Pakistan been in its relations with Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Iran, China, the USSR/Russia, the USA, the UK and the Commonwealth, and the United Nations? (See also above under Key Questions 11–15)
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: nuclear weapons programme, established 1972
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: Indian nuclear test, 1974
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: nuclear testing race with India
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: Pakistan nuclear tests, 1987
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: US concerns
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: Pakistan nuclear tests, 1998
• Pakistan – a nuclear power: refusals to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Relations with Bangladesh: relations from 1971, residual problems from secession, e.g. repatriation and indemnity
• Relations with India: problems and tensions from 1947 (including Jammu and Kashmir, the creation of Bangladesh, nuclear weapons, issues of trade)
• Relations with India: attempts to develop more friendly relations
• Relations with Afghanistan: issues related to Pakhtoonistan and Tribal Territory
• Relations with Afghanistan: Daud Khan, the Pakhtoonistan issue and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
• Relations with Afghanistan: the Soviet invasion and its impact on Pakistan’s foreign policy in respect of the Soviet Union, the USA and Afghanistan
• Relations with Afghanistan: the post-Soviet legacy affecting Pakistan
• Relations with Afghanistan: relations prior to and after Iran’s Islamic Revolution, 1979
• Relations with Afghanistan: trade, political and religious links
• Relations with Afghanistan: impact of the Islamic Revolution on Pakistan’s bilateral relations
• Relations with Afghanistan: Iran’s role in the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD
• Relations with China: trade and bilateral relations
• Relations with China: China’s relations with India as compared to those with Pakistan
• Relations with China: the Karakoram Highway project
• Relations with China: Pakistan’s policy towards Muslim minorities in China and its impact on relations with Beijing
• Relations with USSR/Russia: relations with the USSR and its Central Asian republics
• Relations with USSR/Russia: impact of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on Pakistan’s policy in respect of Afghanistan and the USA
• Relations with USSR/Russia: the development of closer ties with Russia post- 1991
• Relations with USSR/Russia: Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Moscow, 1999
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: relations with the USA and the UK from 1947 in relation to the Central Eastern Treaty Organisation (CENTO)/Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and reasons why Pakistan left/later rejoined these organisations
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: the issue of non-alignment in relation to the West and the Muslim world, particularly Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: Pakistan’s relationship with the Commonwealth
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: the impact of the removal of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on relations with the USA, the UK and the Commonwealth
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: Pakistan’s place in the UN
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: UN involvement with, and declarations on, Jammu and Kashmir, the Canal Water Dispute, the Indo–Pakistan Wars, war with Bangladesh
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: evaluation of the UN’s role as a peace-maker and mediator in these issues
• Relations with USA, the UK and the Commonwealth: overview of the function of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP) and the part these agencies have played in the development of Pakistan.