Foreign relations of Pakistan facts for kids
Pakistan is a large country with a big Muslim population, second only to Indonesia. It is also the only Muslim country known to have nuclear weapons. Pakistan is an important member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which helps Muslim countries work together.
Pakistan is an active member of the United Nations. Like many countries, Pakistan has faced challenges in its relationships with other nations.
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Pakistan's Relationships with Neighbors
Pakistan's relationship with its neighbor, India, has been difficult. They have had disagreements over a region called Kashmir, leading to two wars. Pakistan has also had tricky relations with Afghanistan and Iran.
On the other hand, Pakistan has a long and strong friendship with China. It also has important ties with the United States and other Western countries, especially because of its interest in the Persian Gulf region.
Alliances During the Cold War
During the Cold War, Pakistan did not trust the Soviet Union. Because of this, Pakistan formed strong alliances with both the United States and China.
Military Alliances
Pakistan joined military alliances supported by the United States, such as CENTO and SEATO. Its friendship with the United States became even stronger after the Soviets invaded neighboring Afghanistan.
Regional Cooperation
In 1964, Pakistan signed the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) Pact with Turkey and Iran. At that time, all three countries were close allies of the U.S. and were cautious about the Soviet Union's influence. To this day, Pakistan has a close relationship with Turkey.
The RCD ended after the Iranian Revolution. Later, Pakistan and Turkey helped create the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 1985.
Improving Relations with India
For several years, Pakistan's relations with India have been slowly getting better. This has allowed Pakistan to focus its foreign policy on more than just security issues.
