On the President's Desk: Pakistan
When Pakistan achieved independence from the British Empire, the new state was experiencing an internal struggle respecting its allegiances on the international state. Pro-communist forces enjoyed considerable support in East Pakistan, but in West Pakistan, the pro-Soviet Pakistan Socialist Party had little strength. The pro-American Pakistan Muslim League dominated much of West Pakistan, especially in the prosperous region of Punjab. This divergence of opinion in the regions forced Prime Minister Ali Khan to attempt to establish friendly relations with both the Soviet Union and the United States. At that point in time, the Soviet Union was providing military, technical, and economic aid to Pakistan's socialist neighbor, India. Despite this, Pakistan requested military aid from the USSR, an entreaty which was rejected as the Soviet Union had previously aligned itself with India.
In 1950, President Harry Truman extended an invitation to Prime Minister Khan for an official state visit. Khan accepted the American invitation and paid an official 23-day state visit to the United States beginning on May 3, 1950. The event was politically controversial in Pakistan, and outraged the country's leftists. During Khan's first visit to the US, president Truman requested Khan to allow the CIA to have a base in Pakistan in order to monitor the activities of Soviet Union. Khan refused the request.
Between 1950 and 1953, several major Pakistan political and military figures paid visits to the United States. Army commander Ayub Khan visited the United States. Khan who would later institute a strongly pro-American military dictatorship.
Defense ties between the two countries strengthened almost immediately following Khan's visit to the United States. Under the subsequent government of Khawaja Nazimuddin, Pakistani and American officials developed goodwill towards one another. Close ties between the countries were evidenced by a mutual defense treaty signed in May 1954, after which hundreds of Pakistani military officers began to regularly train in the United States. A U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) was also established in Rawalpindi, then capital of Pakistan. Pakistani officers were not only trained in military tactics, but also taught leadership, management, and economic theory.
In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower requested permission from Pakistan's new Prime Minister, Huseyn Suhravardie, to lease the Peshawar Air Station (PAS), which was to be used in intelligence gathering of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles. The request was granted, and the United States built an airstrip, command and control station at the site. The base was regarded as top-secret, and even the high-ranking Pakistani public officials were refused entry to the facility. Eisenhower was interested in having Pakistan as an ally against the spread of Communism and to that end, he promoted strong ties with Pakistan's military establishment. Prime Minister Huseyn Suhravardie paid several official visits to the United States, always accompanied by his Army commander, Ayub Khan.
In 1958, Ayub Khan seized power in a coup d'etat. He convinced the Eisenhower administration that left wing activists could seize power in Pakistan, thereby jeopardizing American interests in the region. He convinced the American officials that the Pakistani military was the strongest, and most capable institution to govern the country. During the dictatorship of Ayub Khan, Pakistan enjoyed a close relationship with the United States. Ayub Khan was strongly pro-America. Once on a visit the United States in 1954, he said to American Brigadier-General Henry A. Byroade "I didn’t come here to look at barracks. Our army can be your army if you want us. But let’s make a decision". It was because of his influence that during the 1960s, Pakistan's population was generally pro-American.
In 1960, Ayub Khan granted permission for the United States to fly its first spy missions to the Soviet Union from the recently upgraded Peshawar Air Base. In May 1960, the famous U-2 incident took place, in which pilot Gary Powers was captured by the USSR. The CIA notified Ayub Khan of the incident while he was in London for a state visit. In 1961, Khan paid his first visit to the United States as head of state. American goodwill towards Khan was evident by an elaborate state dinner with President John F. Kennedy held at Mount Vernon, and a ticker tape parade for Khan in New York City.
American military aid was concentrated primarily in West-Pakistan. East Pakistani anger towards an absence of economic development was directed towards the United States, as well as West Pakistan. The East-Pakistan parliament passed a resolution denouncing the 1954 military pact with the United States. Economic aid to Pakistan was increased by the United States through the corporate world. West Pakistan's high rate of economic growth during this time was seen as a model of successful implementation of capitalism in a developing country.
In 1965, Pakistan, under the leadership of Ayub Khan, launched the so-called Operation Gibraltar against India, which escalated to a declaration of war. The war with India cost Pakistan the loss of $500 million in aid from the United States and economic growth declined in Pakistan that year to a mere 0.88%. The economy rapidly rebounded with a GDP growth of 2.32% in 1966, and 9.79% in 1969. However, given the huge economic cost of the war without any clear victory, in 1969 Khan surrendered his Presidential powers to Army Commander General Yahya Khan (no relation).
Pakistan under its new leader was still perceived by the United States as an integral bulwark against Communism. Efforts were made to maintain Pakistan's close relations with the United States. President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger took advantage of Pakistan's close relationship with People Republic of China to initiate secret contacts that resulted in Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971 after visiting Pakistan. This led to Nixon's 1972 visit to China, and the subsequent normalizing of relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
At the onset of hostilities between India and Pakistan, President Nixon urged Yahya Khan to restrain Pakistani forces, in order to prevent escalation of war, and to safeguard Pakistan's interests. Nixon was concerned that an Indian invasion of West Pakistan would lead to socialist India's domination of the subcontinent, strengthening the position of the Soviet Union. Indian military support for Bengali guerrillas and a massive flood of Bengali refugees into India led to the escalation of hostilities and declared war between India and Pakistan.
The United States secretly encouraged the shipment of military equipment from the Shah's Iran, Turkey, and Jordan to Pakistan, despite Congressional objections. But the United States also threatened to cut-off aid to pressure Pakistan to end hostilities, while wanting to maintain the regional balance in South Asia. Near the end of the war, the Nixon Administration recognized Pakistan's imminent defeat. Nixon sent the USS Enterprise, as well as the Task Force-74 of the United States Seventh Fleet into the Indian Ocean – which was regarded as a warning to India to resist escalating attacks against West Pakistan. As it was the height of the Vietnam War, the United States show of force was seen as a sign of support for the West Pakistan Armed Forces which were badly in need of support at the time. Nixon privately referred to India as a "Soviet stooge" before ordering the Enterprise to lead the Task Force-74. Nixon sent a message to the Soviet Union urging the Russians to stop backing India.
In 1971 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a charismatic democratic socialist, became President of Pakistan and later Prime minister in 1974. His socialist ideas favored the communist ideas but never actually allied with communism. Under Bhutto, Pakistan sought to build closer ties with Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union, while maintaining a balance with the United States. Nixon was not satisfied with this type of fence-sitting. Although Nixon enjoyed good relations with Bhutto, under President Jimmy Carter, US relations worsened. Carter was an anti-socialist. He tightened the embargo placed on Pakistan and placed a pressure through the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Brigadier-General Henry Byroade. Bhutto's left-wing politics upset Carter, who was concerned about Pakistan's loss as an ally in the Cold war. During his inaugural address, Carter announced his determination to seek a ban of nuclear weapons. After Carter's election, Bhutto lost all ties to the United States administration that he had through President Nixon. Bhutto's responded by pressing for action against India's nuclear program at the United Nations. Writing to the world and Western leaders, Bhutto said that "Pakistan was exposed to a kind of nuclear threat and blackmail unparalleled elsewhere... If the world's community failed to provide political insurance to Pakistan and other countries against the nuclear blackmail, these countries would be a constraint to launch atomic bomb programs of their own!"
Although Carter placed an embargo on Pakistan, Bhutto was able to purchase sensitive equipment, common metal materials, and electronic components, marked as "common items", to hide the true nature of his intentions to enhance his nation's atomic bomb project. Bhutto tried to resolve the issue, but Carter prevented talk to discuss the issue.
Previously, in 1974, India had carried out the test of nuclear weapons near the Pakistan's eastern border, code-named Smiling Buddha. Bhutto had sought the United States to impose economic sanctions in India. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Pakistan's ambassador to Washington that the test was "a fait accompli and that Pakistan would have to learn to live with it". In response to the break with the United States, Bhutto intensified his nationalization and industrialization policies, as well as aggressively taking steps to spur scientific research on atomic weapons and the atomic bomb project. Bhutto authorized the construction of Chagai weapon-testing laboratories. The atomic bomb project became fully mature in 1978, and a first cold test was conducted in 1983.
In 1979, a group of Pakistani students burned the American embassy in Islamabad to the ground killing two Americans as a reaction to Grand Mosque Seizure, citing the U.S. involvement. Bhitto was removed as president in a coup in 1977, was arrested and was hanged in 1979. After the removal and death of Bhutto, Pakistan's ties with the United States improved. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet 40th Army crossed the border into Afghanistan. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,the CIA ran Operation Cyclone to oppose the Soviets in Afghanistan. Throughout the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq, the United States gave billion dollars of economic and military aid to Pakistan, as Pakistan and the United States shared a common interest in opposing the Soviet Union. In 1981, Pakistan and the United States agreed on a $3.2 billion military and economic assistance program aimed at helping Pakistan deal with the heightened threat to security in the region. With US assistance, Pakistan armed and supplied anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan.
In the 1980s, Pakistan agreed to pay $658 million for 28 F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Congress froze the deal, citing objections to Pakistan's nuclear ambitions. When the US kept both the money and the planes, this led to outrage from the Pakistanis. After Ronald Reagan became president. President Reagan increased the funding for aid to the Afghan resistance, and to Pakistan. The United States sought the support of Zia in fighting a US-aided war by proxy in Afghanistan against the Soviets. The Reagan administration and Reagan himself supported Pakistan's military regime. The U.S. intelligence community aided Zia and approved the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcon, nuclear technology, naval warships, intelligence training and efforts.
Zia, along with the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, died in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances suggesting that the plane had been sabotaged. US-Pakistani relations deteriorated quickly with successive prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The United States took a tough stand on Pakistan's nuclear development, while significantly improving the relations with India. Both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif requested the United States to take steps to stop the Indian nuclear program. Pakistan's alliance with the U.S. was strained due to factors such as its support for the Taliban and public distancing of the Pakistani government from the U.S. In 1992 US Ambassador Nicholas Platt advised Pakistan's leaders that if Pakistan continued to support terrorists, Pakistan could find itself on the state sponsors of terrorism list. When the US decided to respond to the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Africa by firing missiles at an al-Qaeda camp in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, five Pakistani ISI agents present at the camp were killed.
In 1989, Benazir Bhutto met with President George H. W. bush and asked the U.S. to stop financing the Afghan Mujahideen. Nawaz Sharif who visited the U.S. in 1990 to discuss nuclear deterrence. Prime Minister Sharif declared that "Pakistan possessed no atomic bomb" and "would be happy to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty" if India did so as well. Nawaz Sharif then successfully held talks with the China to build the largest commercial nuclear plant in Chasma city in Pakistan.
In 1995, Prime minister Benazir Bhutto made a final visit to U.S. urging President Bill Clinton to launch a campaign against extremism, with Pakistan allying with the United States. Bhutto faced heated criticism and opposition on the nuclear weapons program. Although Benazir was able to convince the U.S. business community to invest in Pakistan, she was unable to revert the economic embargo which kept investment away from the country.
In 1998, Prime minister Nawaz Sharif ordered to conduct first nuclear tests after Benazir Bhutto called for the tests in response to Indian nuclear tests. The announcement drew the ire of the United States, while India's relations with Israel and U.S. greatly enhanced. A military coup was commenced against Nawaz Sharif, with President Clinton criticizing the coup and demanding the restoration of democracy.
Since 1998, the governments of both countries have started an intensive dialogue on nuclear nonproliferation and security issues. The October 1999 overthrow of the democratically elected Sharif government led to an additional layer of sanctions including restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance. US Government assistance to Pakistan was limited mainly to refugee and counter-narcotics assistance.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States, Pakistan became a key ally in the war on terror with the United States. In 2001, US President George W. Bush reached an agreement with Pakistan to join the US the war on terror. President Pervez Musharraf claimed in his book, "We've captured 689 and handed over 369 to the United States. We've earned bounties totaling millions of dollars." In 2003, the US officially forgave US$1 billion in Pakistani debt in a ceremony in Pakistan in turn for Pakistan joining the US 'war on terror'. But Pakistan support of the U.S. and its war has angered many Pakistanis that do not support it. Prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were key supporters of the Taliban in Afghanistan. After 9/11, Pakistan, led by General Pervez Musharraf, reversed course and joined the "War on Terror" as a U.S. ally. They failed to convince the Taliban to hand over bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda, but Pakistan provided the U.S. with a number of military airports and bases for its attack on Afghanistan, along with other logistical support. Since 2001, Pakistan has arrested over five hundred Al-Qaeda members and handed them over to the United States. In return for their support, Pakistan had sanctions lifted and has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid since 2001, primarily military. In June 2004, President George W. Bush designated Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally, making it eligible, among other things, to purchase advanced American military technology.
The Taliban have been resurgent in recent years in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to Pakistan as a result of fighting between Pakistani forces and the Taliban in the regions bordering Afghanistan. During the 2008 election campaign Barack Obama said that the US had made the mistake of "putting all our eggs in one basket" in the form of General Musharraf. When Obama came into office, the U.S. increased non-military aid to Pakistan and tied military aid to progress in the fight against militants. Between 2002–2013, Pakistan received $25 billion in economic and military aid and sales of military equipment. The equipment included eighteen new F-16 aircraft, eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, 6,000 TOW anti-tank missiles, 500 AMRAM air-to-air missiles, 6 C-130 transport aircraft, 20 Cobra attack helicopters, and a Perry-class missile frigate. The aid during the Obama administration was more economic than military.
On September 14, 2009, former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, admitted that American foreign aid to Pakistan had been diverted from its original purpose of fighting the Taliban to preparing for war against neighboring India. Musharraf also said, '"Wherever there is a threat to Pakistan, we will use it there. If the threat comes from al-Qaeda or Taliban, it will be used there. If the threat comes from India, we will most surely use it there." In October 2009, the US Congress approved $7.5 billion of non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years. In February 2010, President Obama sought to increase funds to Pakistan to "promote economic and political stability in strategically important regions where the United States has special security interests". Obama also sought $3.1 billion aid for Pakistan to defeat Al Qaeda for 2010.
In January 2011, the Raymond Allen Davis incident occurred in which Raymond Davis, an alleged private security contractor, shot and killed two Pakistani locals after they attempted to rob him. The action sparked protests in Pakistan and threatened relations between the United States and Pakistan. Pakistan prosecuted Davis despite US demands for him to be freed because he enjoys diplomatic immunity. Ultimately he was freed after the United States made payments to the families of the slain Pakistanis.
The CIA had long suspected Osama Bin Laden of hiding in Pakistan and India had also accused Pakistan of giving safe-haven to the Taliban. Pakistan has repeatedly denied these accusations. Osama bin Laden, then head of the militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack Obama and carried out in a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known informally by its former name, SEAL Team Six) of the Joint Special Operations Command, with support from CIA operatives on the ground. US officials did not share information about the raid with the government of Pakistan until it was over. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen called Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at about 3 a.m. local time to inform him of the Abbottabad Operation. Some in the U.S. government claimed that they had caught bin Laden without Pakistani help, numerous allegations were made that the government of Pakistan had shielded bin Laden. US government files, leaked by WikiLeaks, disclosed that American diplomats had been told that Pakistani security services were tipping off bin Laden every time US forces approached. According to the leaked files, in December 2009, the government of Tajikistan had also told US officials that many in Pakistan were aware of bin Laden's whereabouts. However Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that "cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound in which he was hiding."[108] Obama echoed her sentiments.
On August 21, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for Afghan War and accused Pakistan of providing safe heavens to terrorists. On January 1, 2018, President Trump pmce again criticized Pakistan, saying "they have given us nothing but lies and deceit".
Present US-Pakistan relations illustrate the difficulties of diplomacy and policy-making in a multipolar world. Pakistan has important geopolitical significance for both India and China, and remains a key player in American efforts in Afghanistan. The two countries are trying to build a strategic partnership, but there remains a significant trust deficit, which hinders successful cooperation in combating common threats. Both Pakistan and the United States face common enemies, but also have issues on which their interests do not coexist. This difficult diplomatic calculus will continue to make US-Pakistani relations a problematic issue on the President's desk.
In 1950, President Harry Truman extended an invitation to Prime Minister Khan for an official state visit. Khan accepted the American invitation and paid an official 23-day state visit to the United States beginning on May 3, 1950. The event was politically controversial in Pakistan, and outraged the country's leftists. During Khan's first visit to the US, president Truman requested Khan to allow the CIA to have a base in Pakistan in order to monitor the activities of Soviet Union. Khan refused the request.
Between 1950 and 1953, several major Pakistan political and military figures paid visits to the United States. Army commander Ayub Khan visited the United States. Khan who would later institute a strongly pro-American military dictatorship.
Defense ties between the two countries strengthened almost immediately following Khan's visit to the United States. Under the subsequent government of Khawaja Nazimuddin, Pakistani and American officials developed goodwill towards one another. Close ties between the countries were evidenced by a mutual defense treaty signed in May 1954, after which hundreds of Pakistani military officers began to regularly train in the United States. A U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) was also established in Rawalpindi, then capital of Pakistan. Pakistani officers were not only trained in military tactics, but also taught leadership, management, and economic theory.
In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower requested permission from Pakistan's new Prime Minister, Huseyn Suhravardie, to lease the Peshawar Air Station (PAS), which was to be used in intelligence gathering of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles. The request was granted, and the United States built an airstrip, command and control station at the site. The base was regarded as top-secret, and even the high-ranking Pakistani public officials were refused entry to the facility. Eisenhower was interested in having Pakistan as an ally against the spread of Communism and to that end, he promoted strong ties with Pakistan's military establishment. Prime Minister Huseyn Suhravardie paid several official visits to the United States, always accompanied by his Army commander, Ayub Khan.
In 1958, Ayub Khan seized power in a coup d'etat. He convinced the Eisenhower administration that left wing activists could seize power in Pakistan, thereby jeopardizing American interests in the region. He convinced the American officials that the Pakistani military was the strongest, and most capable institution to govern the country. During the dictatorship of Ayub Khan, Pakistan enjoyed a close relationship with the United States. Ayub Khan was strongly pro-America. Once on a visit the United States in 1954, he said to American Brigadier-General Henry A. Byroade "I didn’t come here to look at barracks. Our army can be your army if you want us. But let’s make a decision". It was because of his influence that during the 1960s, Pakistan's population was generally pro-American.
In 1960, Ayub Khan granted permission for the United States to fly its first spy missions to the Soviet Union from the recently upgraded Peshawar Air Base. In May 1960, the famous U-2 incident took place, in which pilot Gary Powers was captured by the USSR. The CIA notified Ayub Khan of the incident while he was in London for a state visit. In 1961, Khan paid his first visit to the United States as head of state. American goodwill towards Khan was evident by an elaborate state dinner with President John F. Kennedy held at Mount Vernon, and a ticker tape parade for Khan in New York City.
American military aid was concentrated primarily in West-Pakistan. East Pakistani anger towards an absence of economic development was directed towards the United States, as well as West Pakistan. The East-Pakistan parliament passed a resolution denouncing the 1954 military pact with the United States. Economic aid to Pakistan was increased by the United States through the corporate world. West Pakistan's high rate of economic growth during this time was seen as a model of successful implementation of capitalism in a developing country.
In 1965, Pakistan, under the leadership of Ayub Khan, launched the so-called Operation Gibraltar against India, which escalated to a declaration of war. The war with India cost Pakistan the loss of $500 million in aid from the United States and economic growth declined in Pakistan that year to a mere 0.88%. The economy rapidly rebounded with a GDP growth of 2.32% in 1966, and 9.79% in 1969. However, given the huge economic cost of the war without any clear victory, in 1969 Khan surrendered his Presidential powers to Army Commander General Yahya Khan (no relation).
Pakistan under its new leader was still perceived by the United States as an integral bulwark against Communism. Efforts were made to maintain Pakistan's close relations with the United States. President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger took advantage of Pakistan's close relationship with People Republic of China to initiate secret contacts that resulted in Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971 after visiting Pakistan. This led to Nixon's 1972 visit to China, and the subsequent normalizing of relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
At the onset of hostilities between India and Pakistan, President Nixon urged Yahya Khan to restrain Pakistani forces, in order to prevent escalation of war, and to safeguard Pakistan's interests. Nixon was concerned that an Indian invasion of West Pakistan would lead to socialist India's domination of the subcontinent, strengthening the position of the Soviet Union. Indian military support for Bengali guerrillas and a massive flood of Bengali refugees into India led to the escalation of hostilities and declared war between India and Pakistan.
The United States secretly encouraged the shipment of military equipment from the Shah's Iran, Turkey, and Jordan to Pakistan, despite Congressional objections. But the United States also threatened to cut-off aid to pressure Pakistan to end hostilities, while wanting to maintain the regional balance in South Asia. Near the end of the war, the Nixon Administration recognized Pakistan's imminent defeat. Nixon sent the USS Enterprise, as well as the Task Force-74 of the United States Seventh Fleet into the Indian Ocean – which was regarded as a warning to India to resist escalating attacks against West Pakistan. As it was the height of the Vietnam War, the United States show of force was seen as a sign of support for the West Pakistan Armed Forces which were badly in need of support at the time. Nixon privately referred to India as a "Soviet stooge" before ordering the Enterprise to lead the Task Force-74. Nixon sent a message to the Soviet Union urging the Russians to stop backing India.
In 1971 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a charismatic democratic socialist, became President of Pakistan and later Prime minister in 1974. His socialist ideas favored the communist ideas but never actually allied with communism. Under Bhutto, Pakistan sought to build closer ties with Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union, while maintaining a balance with the United States. Nixon was not satisfied with this type of fence-sitting. Although Nixon enjoyed good relations with Bhutto, under President Jimmy Carter, US relations worsened. Carter was an anti-socialist. He tightened the embargo placed on Pakistan and placed a pressure through the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Brigadier-General Henry Byroade. Bhutto's left-wing politics upset Carter, who was concerned about Pakistan's loss as an ally in the Cold war. During his inaugural address, Carter announced his determination to seek a ban of nuclear weapons. After Carter's election, Bhutto lost all ties to the United States administration that he had through President Nixon. Bhutto's responded by pressing for action against India's nuclear program at the United Nations. Writing to the world and Western leaders, Bhutto said that "Pakistan was exposed to a kind of nuclear threat and blackmail unparalleled elsewhere... If the world's community failed to provide political insurance to Pakistan and other countries against the nuclear blackmail, these countries would be a constraint to launch atomic bomb programs of their own!"
Although Carter placed an embargo on Pakistan, Bhutto was able to purchase sensitive equipment, common metal materials, and electronic components, marked as "common items", to hide the true nature of his intentions to enhance his nation's atomic bomb project. Bhutto tried to resolve the issue, but Carter prevented talk to discuss the issue.
Previously, in 1974, India had carried out the test of nuclear weapons near the Pakistan's eastern border, code-named Smiling Buddha. Bhutto had sought the United States to impose economic sanctions in India. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Pakistan's ambassador to Washington that the test was "a fait accompli and that Pakistan would have to learn to live with it". In response to the break with the United States, Bhutto intensified his nationalization and industrialization policies, as well as aggressively taking steps to spur scientific research on atomic weapons and the atomic bomb project. Bhutto authorized the construction of Chagai weapon-testing laboratories. The atomic bomb project became fully mature in 1978, and a first cold test was conducted in 1983.
In 1979, a group of Pakistani students burned the American embassy in Islamabad to the ground killing two Americans as a reaction to Grand Mosque Seizure, citing the U.S. involvement. Bhitto was removed as president in a coup in 1977, was arrested and was hanged in 1979. After the removal and death of Bhutto, Pakistan's ties with the United States improved. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet 40th Army crossed the border into Afghanistan. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,the CIA ran Operation Cyclone to oppose the Soviets in Afghanistan. Throughout the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq, the United States gave billion dollars of economic and military aid to Pakistan, as Pakistan and the United States shared a common interest in opposing the Soviet Union. In 1981, Pakistan and the United States agreed on a $3.2 billion military and economic assistance program aimed at helping Pakistan deal with the heightened threat to security in the region. With US assistance, Pakistan armed and supplied anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan.
In the 1980s, Pakistan agreed to pay $658 million for 28 F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Congress froze the deal, citing objections to Pakistan's nuclear ambitions. When the US kept both the money and the planes, this led to outrage from the Pakistanis. After Ronald Reagan became president. President Reagan increased the funding for aid to the Afghan resistance, and to Pakistan. The United States sought the support of Zia in fighting a US-aided war by proxy in Afghanistan against the Soviets. The Reagan administration and Reagan himself supported Pakistan's military regime. The U.S. intelligence community aided Zia and approved the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcon, nuclear technology, naval warships, intelligence training and efforts.
Zia, along with the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, died in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances suggesting that the plane had been sabotaged. US-Pakistani relations deteriorated quickly with successive prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The United States took a tough stand on Pakistan's nuclear development, while significantly improving the relations with India. Both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif requested the United States to take steps to stop the Indian nuclear program. Pakistan's alliance with the U.S. was strained due to factors such as its support for the Taliban and public distancing of the Pakistani government from the U.S. In 1992 US Ambassador Nicholas Platt advised Pakistan's leaders that if Pakistan continued to support terrorists, Pakistan could find itself on the state sponsors of terrorism list. When the US decided to respond to the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Africa by firing missiles at an al-Qaeda camp in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, five Pakistani ISI agents present at the camp were killed.
In 1989, Benazir Bhutto met with President George H. W. bush and asked the U.S. to stop financing the Afghan Mujahideen. Nawaz Sharif who visited the U.S. in 1990 to discuss nuclear deterrence. Prime Minister Sharif declared that "Pakistan possessed no atomic bomb" and "would be happy to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty" if India did so as well. Nawaz Sharif then successfully held talks with the China to build the largest commercial nuclear plant in Chasma city in Pakistan.
In 1995, Prime minister Benazir Bhutto made a final visit to U.S. urging President Bill Clinton to launch a campaign against extremism, with Pakistan allying with the United States. Bhutto faced heated criticism and opposition on the nuclear weapons program. Although Benazir was able to convince the U.S. business community to invest in Pakistan, she was unable to revert the economic embargo which kept investment away from the country.
In 1998, Prime minister Nawaz Sharif ordered to conduct first nuclear tests after Benazir Bhutto called for the tests in response to Indian nuclear tests. The announcement drew the ire of the United States, while India's relations with Israel and U.S. greatly enhanced. A military coup was commenced against Nawaz Sharif, with President Clinton criticizing the coup and demanding the restoration of democracy.
Since 1998, the governments of both countries have started an intensive dialogue on nuclear nonproliferation and security issues. The October 1999 overthrow of the democratically elected Sharif government led to an additional layer of sanctions including restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance. US Government assistance to Pakistan was limited mainly to refugee and counter-narcotics assistance.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States, Pakistan became a key ally in the war on terror with the United States. In 2001, US President George W. Bush reached an agreement with Pakistan to join the US the war on terror. President Pervez Musharraf claimed in his book, "We've captured 689 and handed over 369 to the United States. We've earned bounties totaling millions of dollars." In 2003, the US officially forgave US$1 billion in Pakistani debt in a ceremony in Pakistan in turn for Pakistan joining the US 'war on terror'. But Pakistan support of the U.S. and its war has angered many Pakistanis that do not support it. Prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were key supporters of the Taliban in Afghanistan. After 9/11, Pakistan, led by General Pervez Musharraf, reversed course and joined the "War on Terror" as a U.S. ally. They failed to convince the Taliban to hand over bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda, but Pakistan provided the U.S. with a number of military airports and bases for its attack on Afghanistan, along with other logistical support. Since 2001, Pakistan has arrested over five hundred Al-Qaeda members and handed them over to the United States. In return for their support, Pakistan had sanctions lifted and has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid since 2001, primarily military. In June 2004, President George W. Bush designated Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally, making it eligible, among other things, to purchase advanced American military technology.
The Taliban have been resurgent in recent years in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to Pakistan as a result of fighting between Pakistani forces and the Taliban in the regions bordering Afghanistan. During the 2008 election campaign Barack Obama said that the US had made the mistake of "putting all our eggs in one basket" in the form of General Musharraf. When Obama came into office, the U.S. increased non-military aid to Pakistan and tied military aid to progress in the fight against militants. Between 2002–2013, Pakistan received $25 billion in economic and military aid and sales of military equipment. The equipment included eighteen new F-16 aircraft, eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, 6,000 TOW anti-tank missiles, 500 AMRAM air-to-air missiles, 6 C-130 transport aircraft, 20 Cobra attack helicopters, and a Perry-class missile frigate. The aid during the Obama administration was more economic than military.
On September 14, 2009, former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, admitted that American foreign aid to Pakistan had been diverted from its original purpose of fighting the Taliban to preparing for war against neighboring India. Musharraf also said, '"Wherever there is a threat to Pakistan, we will use it there. If the threat comes from al-Qaeda or Taliban, it will be used there. If the threat comes from India, we will most surely use it there." In October 2009, the US Congress approved $7.5 billion of non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years. In February 2010, President Obama sought to increase funds to Pakistan to "promote economic and political stability in strategically important regions where the United States has special security interests". Obama also sought $3.1 billion aid for Pakistan to defeat Al Qaeda for 2010.
In January 2011, the Raymond Allen Davis incident occurred in which Raymond Davis, an alleged private security contractor, shot and killed two Pakistani locals after they attempted to rob him. The action sparked protests in Pakistan and threatened relations between the United States and Pakistan. Pakistan prosecuted Davis despite US demands for him to be freed because he enjoys diplomatic immunity. Ultimately he was freed after the United States made payments to the families of the slain Pakistanis.
The CIA had long suspected Osama Bin Laden of hiding in Pakistan and India had also accused Pakistan of giving safe-haven to the Taliban. Pakistan has repeatedly denied these accusations. Osama bin Laden, then head of the militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack Obama and carried out in a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known informally by its former name, SEAL Team Six) of the Joint Special Operations Command, with support from CIA operatives on the ground. US officials did not share information about the raid with the government of Pakistan until it was over. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen called Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at about 3 a.m. local time to inform him of the Abbottabad Operation. Some in the U.S. government claimed that they had caught bin Laden without Pakistani help, numerous allegations were made that the government of Pakistan had shielded bin Laden. US government files, leaked by WikiLeaks, disclosed that American diplomats had been told that Pakistani security services were tipping off bin Laden every time US forces approached. According to the leaked files, in December 2009, the government of Tajikistan had also told US officials that many in Pakistan were aware of bin Laden's whereabouts. However Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that "cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound in which he was hiding."[108] Obama echoed her sentiments.
On August 21, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for Afghan War and accused Pakistan of providing safe heavens to terrorists. On January 1, 2018, President Trump pmce again criticized Pakistan, saying "they have given us nothing but lies and deceit".
Present US-Pakistan relations illustrate the difficulties of diplomacy and policy-making in a multipolar world. Pakistan has important geopolitical significance for both India and China, and remains a key player in American efforts in Afghanistan. The two countries are trying to build a strategic partnership, but there remains a significant trust deficit, which hinders successful cooperation in combating common threats. Both Pakistan and the United States face common enemies, but also have issues on which their interests do not coexist. This difficult diplomatic calculus will continue to make US-Pakistani relations a problematic issue on the President's desk.