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What Kinds of Factors Push Pakistan Towards Alignment With West

Pakistan shifted towards alignment with the West between 1958-1962 due to several factors: a sense of insecurity from threats by India and Afghanistan, an economic crisis as commodity prices dropped damaging trade, and shortages of food which the US helped address. Pakistan also felt isolated, efforts for Muslim unity were failing, and the UN and Commonwealth would not help resolve disputes like Kashmir. The Pakistani military also favored alignment with the more advanced West.

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429 views2 pages

What Kinds of Factors Push Pakistan Towards Alignment With West

Pakistan shifted towards alignment with the West between 1958-1962 due to several factors: a sense of insecurity from threats by India and Afghanistan, an economic crisis as commodity prices dropped damaging trade, and shortages of food which the US helped address. Pakistan also felt isolated, efforts for Muslim unity were failing, and the UN and Commonwealth would not help resolve disputes like Kashmir. The Pakistani military also favored alignment with the more advanced West.

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ansha shamas
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Name Ansha Malik Shamas, Roll-No 06

What kinds of factors push Pakistan towards Alignment with West?

1958-1962
The second phase of Pakistan's foreign policy was characterized by a transition from an
independent foreign policy to a multifaceted alignment with the West. Pakistan entered into a
number of security arrangements with the United States and obtained economic and military
assistance from that source which entangled Pakistan in the Cold War between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union. Certain situations or factors push Pakistan towards to build alignment with west
which is given below:-

i. Sense of insecurity
Pakistan's alignment policy was shaped primarily by its acute sense of insecurity within
the regional context. Pakistan's security problems primarily with India and secondarily
with Afghanistan were catalyst to Pakistan's frantic search for allies.
ii. Economic Crisis
The deepening economic crisis in the early 1950s also contributed to this decision. In
early 1952, the prices of jute and cotton began to drop in the International market which
adversely affected Pakistan's foreign trade. The foreign exchange earnings and gold and
sterling reserves dwindled.
iii. Shortage of Food
Pakistan was also faced with a serious shortage of wheat in 1952-53. The United States
came for Pakistan's rescue by offering a gift of wheat in 1953 which helped to overcome
food shortages and built a lot of good will in Pakistan for the donor.
iv. Sense of Isolation
Several other factors pushed Pakistan towards alignment with the United States. Pakistan
suffered from a sense of isolation in the World.
v. Relation with Muslim World
The efforts to promote unity in the Muslim World were not making headway.
vi. Kashmir Dispute
It also became clear that the UN and the Commonwealth would not facilitate the solution
of the Pakistan-India problems, especially the Kashmir dispute.
vii. Contribution of Military
The top-brass of the military made a significant contribution towards building Pakistan-
U.S. relationship. They put their weight in favour of the United States because, in their
opinion, the West was more advanced in economic and technical fields and that the West
had sufficient resources and determination to support its allies.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The choice of the United States was not surprising. Apart from the U.S. willingness to
offer assistance as a part of its global strategy for the containment of Communism, Pakistan
leaders had already given ample evidence of their pro-West disposition. Their distrust of the
Soviet Union was quite known which was reinforced by the unearthing of a pro-Soviet
'Rawalpindi Conspiracy' (1951) to dislodge the government in Pakistan. Liaquat Ali Khan's
successors were politically weak and they thought that American economic and military aid
would reinforce their position in the body politic.

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