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Chapter 16. Pak Britain Relations

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16 views2 pages

Chapter 16. Pak Britain Relations

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madeehaali16981
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Pakistan’s Relations with Great Britain and the Commonwealth

What is Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organization of 54 member states, most of
which are former territories of the British Empire. It serves as a voluntary association
promoting cooperation and mutual assistance among its member countries, irrespective of
their size or economic status.The main administrative body of the Commonwealth is the
Commonwealth Secretariat, which is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The
Commonwealth Secretary-General is Patricia Janet Scotland The organization emphasizes
shared values such as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The Commonwealth
provides a platform for member states to collaborate on various issues, including
development, trade, education, and cultural exchange.
Q: How successful was Pakistan in its relationship with Great Britain and the
Commonwealth between 1947 and 1999? Explain your answer. (14)
Note: For Q.2-5, part c, 14 marks; for Q.1 part d, 10 marks
Ans: Pakistan maintained good relations with Great Britain and the Commonwealth. After
independence in 1947, the British provided Jinnah with help at the top levels of both the
military and the civil service. There were many senior British officers like General Douglas
Gracy in the Pakistan army to train them along modern lines. It also gave financial and
technical aid and advice to cope with the difficulties. Pakistan chose to remain a member of
the Commonwealth as it was now a British dominion (being independent but recognizing
the British Emperor as technical head of state). In a Commonwealth meeting in 1950 in
Colombo, the Colombo Plan was set up to extend aid to Pakistan. It also provided one
million Sterling Pounds for the Sui gas project. Canada gave $ 40 million for the
development of railways.
Moreover, in 1954-55 Pakistan and Britain agreed to work together as members of SEATO
and CENTO. Britain played key role in ending the 1965 war. Then during the Afghanistan
crisis, Britain supported Pakistan. British PM Mrs. Margaret Thatcher was the first Western
leader to visit Pakistan in 1981 during the Afghan war. An aid of 30 million Sterling Pounds
was given to Pakistan to accommodate the Afghan refugees. Another aid of 16 million
Sterling Pounds was given to help refugees in Balochistan and KPK.
Besides this, during the 1980’s Britain remained a major trading partner of Pakistan, with an
estimated 376 million Sterling Pounds worth a trade between the two countries by 1986.
Benazir Bhutto rejoined the Commonwealth in 1989 as the military rule of Zia had ended in
1988. In the 1990’s both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif continued to pay visits to Great
Britain to strengthen mutual relations. Pakistan has been an active participant in the
Commonwealth Games. The Queen of England visited Pakistan on 14th August 1997 to
attend the Golden Jubilee ceremony of the creation of Pakistan. She was accorded very
warm welcome. Presence of a considerable Pakistani population in England has also played
an important role in improving the relations. Some of these Pakistanis managed to get
elected in the British Parliament as Mohammed Sarwar is a British politician who became
the first Muslim Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom in 1997. He was born in
Pakistan and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1970s. Sarwar was a member of the
Labour Party and represented the Glasgow Govan constituency in the House of Commons
from 1997 to 2010
However, relations between the two states have witnessed failures too. Many Pakistani
army officers were not happy with the British officers in their ranks and some of them
unsuccessfully tried a military coup in 1951. Pakistani government also had reservations
about the Radcliffe Award as some Muslim majority districts in Punjab had been given to
India.
Moreover, British failure to resolve the Kashmir dispute was also a setback for the relations.
In 1956, the British attack on the Suez Canal in Egypt was criticized by Pakistan. Relations
were also affected when Pakistan could not receive any aid from SEATO and CENTO in the
wars of 1965 and 1971. When Great Britain recognized the Republic of Bangladesh,
Pakistan left SEATO and the Commonwealth.
Besides this, Z.A. Bhutto’s inclination towards the communist and socialist states of the
USSR and China was not liked by Great Britain. When death sentence was awarded to
Bhutto, Britain did not pressurize Zia for an amnesty to Bhutto though Bhutto expected this
from his friend Mr. James Callaghan, the British Foreign Minister.
Furthermore, in the 1990’s, Great Britain, like the USA continued to express its concerns
over Pakistan’s nuclear program. When Pakistan conducted nuclear blasts in May 1998,
Britain and the Commonwealth stopped aid to Pakistan.
So,it may be concluded that Pakistan’s relations with Great Britain and the Commonwealth
have been quite successful because of good trade relations and British interest in investing
in various development projects of Pakistan.

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