A veteran's insights

A concise history of Pakistan's foreign policy since its birth.

This edition, the second of a veteran diplomat's work, is a vast improvement on the first and richly deserves the wide acclaim it has received, especially from former Foreign Minister Agha Shahi, one of the most brilliant diplomats Pakistan has produced, in his foreword.

The book is a concise history of Pakistan's foreign policy since its birth, enriched by the author's personal insights. He was a junior official at the time of the Simla Conference in June 1972, the last surviving participant besides Prof. P.N. Dhar, and Foreign Minister of Pakistan at the Agra summit in July 2001.

The appendices contain, besides the text of the Simla Agreement, very useful preparatory material. They comprise the Draft Treaty for Reconciliation, Good Neighbourliness and Durable Peace proposed by India on June 29, 1972. Its Article V is still relevant:

In order to concentrate their energies on economic and social development and avoid diversion of resources from development to defence, the Government of India and Government of Pakistan agree to a balanced reduction of their defence forces facing each other and of their stationing and development in areas mutually specified so as to eliminate the possibilities of a sudden outbreak of hostilities.

The Government of India and the Government of Pakistan further agree that joint inspection teams shall be established to ensure effective implementation of agreement entered into pursuant to this Article. The joint inspection teams will submit their report from time to time to the two governments. Both sides agree to enter into a protocol for the implementation of this Article which shall be an integral part of this Treaty.

Article IX read: The Government of India and the Government of Pakistan agree to facilitate visits of nationals of one country to the other through mutually agreed routes for personal, commercial, religious, cultural and other reasons. Pakistan countered with a draft agreement and India did likewise. The author explains how the drafts were altered and the final agreement was reached.

Also appended is the draft Agra Declaration. It establishes that Prime Minister Vajpayee lied to Parliament when he said on July 24, 2001, that the cause of the breakdown of his summit with President Pervez Musharraf was because of Pakistan's insistence on the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue as a precondition for the normalisation of relations. The summit sought not to settle any issue but establish a mechanism for the resolution of all pending issues.

The book covers a wide spectrum, including Pakistan's relations with the U.S., China and other powers, the Afghanistan crisis, nuclear tests and terrorism. No student of Pakistan's foreign policy can afford to ignore it.