Pakistan and the Soviet Union

 

Pakistan and the Soviet Union

By 1950 The Soviet union was closely backing India over Kashmir, and not maintaining a Neutral stance as it had been doing immediately after partition. When Pakistan joined SEATO and CENTO in the mid-1950s the Soviet Union took this as a firm declaration in favor of the USA. The Soviet Union told the Pakistan government that it was allowing itself to be used as a base for American imperialism. In 1955 the Soviet union officially backed India in Kashmir and Soviet leaders visited India, in the same year the Soviet Union, also begin to press Pakistan over the Afghan  claims in ‘Pakhtoonistan. However the Soviet Union also made it clear that it wanted to have good relations with Pakistan.

In May 1950 relations reached a low point when a spy plane from US base in Peshawar was shot down over the Soviet Union. As relations with the USA deteriorated in the 1960s and 1970s so there was improvement in those between Pakistan and the Soviet Union. In 1961 the soviets as a gesture of good will agreed to begin exploring for aid in Pak. When India accepted help from USA in it’s was with China in 1962, the effect was to drive Pakistan and Soviet Union closer together. When China began to give Pakistan aid in 1963, the Soviet govt decided to take even more decisive steps to ally with Pakistan.

 In April 1965 Ayub paid an official visit to the Soviet and further agreements on trade and oil exploration were reached. In Jan 1966 the Soviet Union hosted a peace conference between India and Pakistan at Tashkent. The Pakistan representative were impressed with the organisation of the conference and the Soviet success in holding the conference raised its prestige in Asia. In 1968 when Americans decided to close the airbase at Peshawar the Soviet Union began to supply arms to Pakistan. However at this point relations with the Soviet Union worsened.

The Soviet government was not happy with the fact that Pak was accepting aid and arms from both China and USA as well as from Soviet Union. Consequently the Soviet Union signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation with India guaranteeing soviet help if India went to war with Pakistan. In 1972 Bhutto visited the Soviet Union and began to build a steel mill in Pakistan. However the improved relations were short lived. The soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 caused an open lift when Pakistan accepted American aid to support the muhajideen rebels. Although Zia visited Moscow in 1984 for the funeral of Andropov he got a cold reception. That year Soviet Union also disapproved Pak nuclear program.

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