 | |
 Pakistan |  Soviet Union |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of the Soviet Union,Islamabad | Embassy of Pakistan,Moscow |
| Envoy | |
| Ambassador: Shuaib Qureshi (first) Abdul Sattar (last or second-last) | Ambassador: Ivan Bakulin (first) Victor Yakunin (last) |
Pakistan and theSoviet Union had complex and tense relations. During theCold War (1947–1991), Pakistan was a part ofWestern Bloc of theFirst World and an ally of theUnited States, which was opposed to the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc of the Second World.
Less than a year after Pakistan gained independence, in May 1948, both countries established relations and Soviet premierJoseph Stalin, in 1949, invited Pakistani prime ministerLiaquat Ali Khan to visitMoscow, though Khan insteadvisited the United States in May 1950. FollowingKhan's assassination in 1951, relations remained strained asPakistan joined theanti-communist alliancesSEATO in 1954 andCENTO in 1955. In the aftermath of the1958 Pakistani military coup, PresidentAyub Khan significantly improvedrelations with the United States. The1960 U-2 incident was a flashpoint in Pakistan–Soviet relations, after which Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev threatened to drop anuclear bomb onPeshawar. After Khrushchev's removal, Khan visited Moscow and negotiated peace with Soviet premierAlexei Kosygin. As a result, the Soviets remained neutral during theSecond India–Pakistan War in 1965.
Khan's successorYahya Khan, a pro-American president, presided over theBangladesh Liberation War and theIndia–Pakistani War of 1971. The Soviets aided theBengali nationalists andIndia against Pakistan. After thePakistani defeat, leadership passed to the socialistZulfikar Ali Bhutto, who normalized relations with the Soviets. This resulted in Soviet assistance for construction ofPakistan Steel Mills andGuddu Thermal Power Station, and Pakistan's departure from SEATO and CENTO. The briefdétente came to an end after the1977 military coup byMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq. During theSoviet–Afghan War, Zia backed theAfghan mujahideen, funded by theInter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and thePakistan Army, which fought aproxy war against theSoviet Army inAfghanistan. Meanwhile, in 1988, Zia was killed in anaircraft crash, alleged by many to be a Soviet-backed assassination.
AfterSoviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, the Soviets offered Pakistan to install a commercialnuclear power plant, though Pakistan's prime ministersBenazir Bhutto and laterNawaz Sharif showed little interest in agingSoviet technology. In December 1991, theSoviet Union was dissolved and succeeded by theRussian Federation. Since then,Pakistan–Russia relations have been cooperative and friendly.
ThePakistan Movement (1940–1947) believed in thetwo-nation theory and advocated for the division ofBritish India into a Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. Accordingly,Pakistan achievedindependence from theUnited Kingdom on 14 August 1947. Soviet dictatorJoseph Stalin and officials atMoscow did not send any congratulatory message toMuhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and governor-general of Pakistan. During theFirst Kashmir War (1947–1948) againstIndia, the Soviet Union remained neutral and gave a non-committal attitude. TheKashmir conflict was moved to theUnited Nations Security Council to settle the dispute between India and Pakistan. Thestatus quo was more acceptable to India, not by Pakistan, and initially influenced Moscow to vote in favor of India in 1947.
During 1947–1953, Pakistan was a member ofNon-Aligned Movement (NAM). It facedchallenges of economic nature,foreign policy,internal unrest andconstitutional crises. Initially, Pakistan waited to see if any nation was willing to help the country to re-build its massive military and economic aid, and leading bureaucrat at this time, Sir Firoz Ali Khan had revealed that:
If the Hindus give [us freedom and] Pakistan, then the Hindus are her best friends. If the British give it to her then the Brits are our best friends. If neither will give us the freedom..... Then Russia is our best friend....
— Firoze Ali Khan, 1946, source[1]
In April 1948, at theUN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Far East, Pakistan'sforeign officers of Pakistan announced that "she (Pakistan) would accept aid from any source", but the Soviets did not respond to that request.[2] In 1948, Prime Minister Ali Khan made several attempts to the Soviet Union to establish relations, but the Soviets remained quiet. In April 1948,Foreign ministerSir Zafarullah Khan held talks withDeputy Foreign ministerAndrei Gromyko, subjecting the diplomatic relation.[3] During this time, Pakistan saw relations with the Soviet Union from the prism of relations with India just as these days it sees ties with the United States.[3]
There are important divergences of outlook between Pakistan, with its Islamic background, and the Soviet Union with its background ofMarxism which isatheistic.... Pakistan had noticed the subservience which was forced upon the allies of the Soviet Union... Furthermore, there was the question whether Russia could supply the aid, both material and technical, which Pakistan so urgently needed...
However, the policy was changed after Soviet Union witnessed two events particularly forcing them to respond to Pakistan when India decided to remain within theCommonwealth Nations, it was a clear sign that India was leaning towards the Western countries under the U.S. auspices.[3] The second event was theIndian premierJawaharlal Nehru's announcement to pay thestate visit to theUnited States on May 7, 1949. To a reaction, Soviet Union extended an invitation to Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, in 1949 to visit Moscow, becoming the first Prime Minister from the Commonwealth of Nations to visit the communist country, but Soviet Union herself did not materialized the dates or the plans.[3] Instead, Prime Minister Ali Khan went onto paid a state visit to United States, taking the largest diplomatic and military convey with him, a clear rebuff to Soviet Union.[3] According to studies completed byPakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA), the real motives, goals and objectives, were to an economic and technical assistance. "There are important divergences of outlook between Pakistan, with its Islamic background, and the Soviet Union with its background ofMarxism which isatheistic. ... Pakistan had noticed the subservience which was forced upon the allies of the Soviet Union. ... Furthermore, there was the question whether Russia could supply the aid, both material and technical, which Pakistan so urgently needed..."PIIA noted.[3]The relations suffered setback when members ofCommunist Party led by communistFaiz Ahmad Faiz, sponsored byMajor-GeneralAkbar Khan, hatched acoup d'état against Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1950 (SeeRawalpindi conspiracy case).[3] Soon, three years after, Prime MinisterLiaqat Ali Khan wasassassinated
Pakistan felt deceived because the U.S. had kept her in the dark about such clandestine spy operations launched from Pakistan’s territory
while campaigning for his electoral term. During 1954–58, the relations were strained and hostility against each other as time passes. In 1954, Pakistan became a member ofSEATO andMETO in 1955, which Soviet Union did not welcome, overtly opting the Pro-Indian policy and regarding the Kashmir as part of India.[2] As a result of1954–55 elections, Prime MinisterHuseyn Suhrawardy, a left-wing Prime Minister, made deliberate attempts to improve relations. On March–April 1954, a delegation of the Soviet cultural troupe toured Pakistan and a festival of the Soviet films was held in Karachi.[2] To reciprocate this, thePakistan Government also sent a delegation to study the Soviet industrial and agricultural development In 1956,Soviet premierNikolai Bulganin offered technical and scientific assistance to Prime Minister Suhrawardy for the peaceful uses ofnuclear energy, offering Soviet contribution after Suhrawardy submitted the plan to established thenuclear power against India. In 1958, Soviet Union agreed to give Pakistan aid in agriculture, economic, science, control of pest, flood control, desalination, soil erosion and technical assistance to Pakistan.[2] In 1958, Pakistan and Soviet Union finally established an oil consortium,Pakistan Oilfields, and expressing interests in establishing the country's first steel mills.[2]
In July 1957, Prime MinisterSuhrawardy approved the leasing of the secretISI installation,Peshawar Air Station, toCIA.[5]
Do not play withFire!, Gentlemen. We have "Red marked"Peshawar on the map ofPakistan
— Nikita Khrushchev,reaction on1960 U-2 incident, source[6]
After commencing themilitary coup d'état againstPresidentIskander Mirza,Army CommanderAyub Khan visited the United States, further enhancing relations with the U.S. while at same time, trying establishing link with Soviet Union throughZulfikar Ali Bhutto.[5]
TheU-2 incident worsened relations between the Soviet Union and Pakistan.[7] GeneralKhalid Mahmud Arif, former chief of army staff, wrote of the incident that, "Pakistan felt deceived because the U.S. had kept her in the dark about such clandestine spy operations launched from Pakistan’s territory".[8]
The Soviet Union had been long associated with Pakistan to help built its technical industries and consortium since late 1950s.[9] In 1950, Soviet Union and Pakistan established the multibillion-dollar worthPakistan Oilfields (it was known as Pakistan-Soviet Oil Fields).[9] In 1969, thePakistan Government employed "V/o Tyaz Promexport", a USSR technical consortium, for vertically integrated steel mills in Karachi, Sindh Province.[10] In 1971,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto succeeded to bring full-scale Soviet investment in this project, and laid the foundations of the steel mills in 1972 with the help of Soviet Union.[10]
The Soviet Union paid back its revenge onIndo-Pakistani war of 1965, emerged as the biggest supplier of military hardware to India.[11] India on other hand, distanced from theWestern countries, developed close relations with the Soviet Union.[11] Soviet Union and India used the diplomacy, convincing the U.S. and Western powers to keep a ban on Pakistan's military and hardware.[12] After the 1965 war, the arms race between India and Pakistan became even more asymmetric and India was outdistancing Pakistan by far.[13] However, in 1968, Soviet Union and Pakistan made an arms deal.[14]
In 1965,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto first paid a state visit to Moscow and brought a great achievement to resolve territorial and political difference between the two countries. On April 3, 1965, PresidentAyub Khan paid a first everstate visit toMoscow in a view to established a strong cultural relations with the people of the USSR. Publicly, President Ayub Khan thankedSoviet PremierAlexei Kosygin, and quoted:"Soviet Union is our next door neighbor with which Pakistan had close friendly connections in the past." During this visit,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto andAndrei Gromyko signed the agreements in the field of trade, economic cooperation and cultural exchange.
Soviet Union is our next door neighbor with which Pakistan had close friendly connections in the past.....
— Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Cited source[6]
As the result of President Khan's visit to the Soviet Union, both countries concluded another agreement for cultural exchanges that was signed on 5 June 1965. This agreement was on the basis of exchange the academicians, scholars, scientists, artists, sportsmen, and also the exchange of music records, radio and television programs. During the signing ceremony of this cultural agreement, S.K. Romonovsky, the Soviet Cultural Minister quoted that "many pacts between two countries would help towards better understanding among the people of Pakistan and the USSR." Finally, on 17 April 1968, PremierKosygin paid a visit to Pakistan and was welcomed by President Ayub and the Pakistan's civil society members with cordial manner. During his visit Alexi Kosygin said: "that relations between Pakistan and the Soviet Union are very good indeed and we should want more and more to strengthen and better them."
The Soviet Premier's visit in April 1968 was the first of its kind state visit and was of outstanding significance. Kosygin agreed to the granting of aid for a steel mill, a nuclear power plant and also economic aid on a broad range of development projects. Quite importantly, the first Soviet-Pakistan arms deal was made in 1968, which caused protests from India.[14] During the time of Kosygin's reception, renowned poetHafeez Jullundhri, sang out a poem, comparing Kosygin's visit to the coming of the dawn, which would bring self-determination and justice to the Kashmiri people. Kosygin enjoyed the amusing poetry, but remained silent on this issue. Alexei Kosygin said:
There were many forces in the world which did not want to see friendship growing between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Pakistan. Pakistan would achieve great success in all spheres under the leadership of President Muhammad Ayub Khan......
— Alexei Kosygin,Premier, 1968, source[6]
The Soviet Union had far better relations withEast Pakistan (NowBangladesh), and had strong ties withCommunist Party after successfully staging theprotest ofBengali language movement to give national recognition to the language as compare toUrdu in1956 constitution.[15] The Communist Party had ensure the complete elimination ofPakistan Muslim League once and for all, leading the collapse of central government of Pakistan Muslim League in the federal government.[15] The tendency ofdemocracy and theAnti-American sentiment was greater inEast-Pakistan, which highly benefited theSoviet Union in 1971.[4] When the mutual defence treaty, following the arrival of military advisers from theMAAG group, which was announced in February 1954, there was a great outcry in East-Pakistan. Many demonstrations, led by communist party were held and the 162 newly elected members ofEast-Pakistan Parliament signed a statement, which denounced Pakistan's government for signing a military pact with United States.[4]
InWest-Pakistan, the Soviet relations had improved after the formation of leadingdemocratic socialistPakistan Peoples Party.[5] The tendency ofsocialism was greater in West Pakistan, in contrast to East Pakistan were the tendency of communism was at its height.[5] After the1965 war, Soviet relations with socialist mass,Awami National Party,Pakistan People's Party, and thePakistan Socialist Party, impulsively improved. In 1972, theWest-Pakistan Parliament passed the resolution which called for establishing ties with Soviet Union.[5] During the 1980s when the purged took place under theZia regime, the socialist members escaped to the Soviet Union throughAfghanistan, seeking the political asylum there.[5]
The Soviet Union played a decisive role in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, first signing theIndo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.[16] The Soviet Union sympathized with theBangladeshis, and supported theIndian Army andMukti Bahini during the war, recognizing that the independence ofBangladesh would weaken the position of its rivals – theUnited States,Saudi Arabia, andChina.[16]
On 6 December and 13 December 1971, theSoviet Navy dispatchedtwo groups of cruisers and destroyers and anuclear submarine armed with nuclear missiles fromVladivostok;[16] they trailed U.S.Task Force 74 into theIndian Ocean from 18 December 1971 until 7 January 1972. The Soviets also had a nuclear submarine to help ward off the threat posed to India by USSEnterprise task force in theIndian Ocean.[17][18] TheSoviet Navy's presence was threatening for Pakistan, with the Soviet nuclear submarines'K-320 andCharlie, movements were picked up by thePakistan Navy's submarines.[16] The Pakistan Navy's submarinesGhazi,Hangor, andMangor had sent solid evidence of Soviet Navy's covert involvement helping the Indian Navy, and Soviet Navy's own secret operations against the Pakistan Navy.[16] Pakistan Navy avoided aggressive contacts with the Soviet Navy due to possible nuclear retaliation by Soviet nuclear submarines in Karachi.[16] In 2012, at an official press release in the Russian Consulate-General Karachi, the Russian ambassador remarked that the former Soviet stance against Pakistan in 1971 did "somewhat embarrassed our relations".[19]
The democratic socialist alliance led by then-Prime MinisterZulfikar Ali Bhutto made an effort to improve relations with the Soviet Union, and for the first time inPakistani history, the Soviet Union's ties with Pakistan began to warm and relations were quickly improved. Reviving his foreign policy, Bhutto relieved Pakistan fromSEATO andCENTO, breaking off the relations with the United States underPresidentJimmy Carter. In 1974, Bhutto paid a tiring and lengthy state visit to Soviet Union, becoming the first Prime Minister since the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Bhutto and his delegation was met with great jubilation, a warm-heated celebration took place after Bhutto was received byAlexei Kosygin in Moscow.[20] The honorary guard of honor was bestowed by theSoviet Armed Forces, and strong interaction was made during Bhutto's democratic era.[20] Bhutto also met withLeonid Brezhnev where Pakistan reached agreements with Soviet Union on mutual trust, cooperation, technical assistance, and friendship.[21]
While there, Bhutto succeeded to convince the Soviet Union to establish theintegrated steel mills, which prompted the Soviet Union to provide funds for the billion dollar project.[22] Prime Minister Bhutto made a deliberate attempt to warm relations with Russia as he was trying to improve relations with the Communist bloc.[22] Bhutto sought to develop and alleviate theSoviet-Pak Relations, as the Soviet Union establishedPakistan Steel Mills in 1972.[23] The foundation stone for this gigantic project was laid on 30 December 1973 by the then Prime Minister Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Facing inexperience for the erection work of the integrated steel mill, Bhutto requested Soviet Union to send its experts.[23] Soviet Union sends dozens of advisors and experts, under Russian scientist Mikhail Koltokof, who supervised the construction of this integrated Steel Mills, with a number of industrial and consortium companies financing this mega-project.[23]
From 1973 to 1979, Soviet Union and Pakistan enjoyed a strong relationship with each other which also benefited the Soviet Union.[22] This interaction was short lived afterpopular unrest began to take place after the1977 elections.[24] With United States support, the CIA-sponsored operation codenamedFair Play removed Bhutto from power in 1977. The Soviet relations with Pakistan deteriorated on April 4, 1979, when Bhutto wasexecuted by theSupreme Court of Pakistan.[24] Earlier, Leonid Brezhnev, Alexei Kosygin, and other members of thePolitburo had sent repeated calls for clemency toCMLA GeneralMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq who forcefully rejected the Soviet requests.[24] Brezhnev maintained the issue of Bhutto was Pakistan's internal matter but did not wish to see him executed. When Bhutto was hanged, Brezhnev condemned the act out of "purely humane motives".[24]
In November 1981, the USSR financially funded and solely establishing theGuddo Thermal Power Station, and surprise Pakistan by offering to build a second nuclear power plant in May 1981.[25] On 1 March 1990, the USSR again offered its nuclear deal with Pakistan and officially stated that the Pakistan has to increase its power generation needs and the USSR Ambassador to Pakistan, V.P. Yakunin, quoted that "once the required guarantees are provided, there is no harm in supplying a nuclear power plant to Pakistan."[26] The Pakistan Production Minister, Shahid Zafar immediately traveled toMoscow for such offer and discussed the issue on a visit; this was followed byForeign Secretary of Pakistan, Tanveer Ahmad, shortly visiting the country.[27] However, after analyzing the technology,Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan (Prime minister at that time) rebuffed the plan and a made move to secure French deal which also went into cold storage.[26] In April 1981, Pakistan and Soviet Union formed a jointprivate company to start the manufacture of the agriculturetractors, for which Soviet Union offered $20 million US dollars.[25] In November 1981, the Soviet Ambassador to Pakistan,V.S. Smirnov, publicly announced that the USSR was ready to provide the financial and technical assistance to set up the export-oriented industries.[25] In 1983, the USSR agreeably sold components of oil-drilled equipment for the construction of theMultan Heavy Water Reactor (Multan-I).[25] In 1985, with Soviet presence, PresidentZia-ul-Haq inaugurated the vertically integrated and the largest Steel Mill in the South Asia, thePakistan Steel Mills in Karachi, on 15 January 1985.[10] This project was completed at a capital cost of Rs.24,700 million; and even as today, the Steel Mills maintains a respected history and great symbol for the relations of USSR and Pakistan.[10]
Shortly after the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan,military ruler GeneralMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq called for a meeting of senior military members and technocrats ofhis military government.[28] At this meeting, General Zia-ul-Haq asked theChief of Army Staff GeneralKhalid Mahmud Arif (veteran of1965 and1971 war) and theChairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff AdmiralMuhammad Shariff (who was madePOW by India during theBangladesh Liberation War in 1971) to lead a specialized civil-military team to formulate a geo-strategy to counter the Soviet aggression.[28] At this meeting, theDirector-General of theISI at that time,Lieutenant-GeneralAkhtar Abdur Rahman advocated for an idea of covert operation in Afghanistan by arming the Islamic extremist, and was loudly heard saying: "Kabul must burn! Kabul must burn!".[28] As for Pakistan, the Soviet war with Islamist mujaheddin was a complete revenge in retaliation for the Soviet Union's long support of regional rival, India, notably during the1971 war, which led theloss ofEast Pakistan.[28]
In 1980–85, the Sovietdirect investment increased from 10% to 15% after officially signing an economic cooperation agreement in 1985.[25] The overall 1.6% of all Pakistan's exports were accounted in 1981, which increased to 2.5% in 1985.[25] Particularly, the Soviet material exports exceeded the imports in three-fold method in early 1980.[25] Unlike, India, the USSR and Pakistan were able to continue the trade of their preferable machinery and technical goods, whilst also cooperated in agricultural products.[25] However, the Soviet Union maintained its restriction to exploit its military equipment and technology to Pakistan, instead offering an economic package (restrictively based on civilian basis) to Pakistan in 1981.[25] Instead, Pakistan went to secure the arms deal with the United States in 1981, including the acquisition ofF-16 fighter jets.[25]
In 1980, the relationship took a dangerous turn, when Soviet press, notable "Pravda" and other Soviet commentators, began to issue threatening statements towards Pakistan.[29] Soviet Commentator, V Baikov, went far enough to say: The axis of United States and China, is trying to secure a base for its rapid deployment force, presumable offeringF-16 fighter plans in that view."[29] Another Soviet commentator "threateningly" asked Pakistan that "If she (Pakistan) thought about where the United States was pulling it in its hostilities with Afghanistan; their aggression was taking place in the vicinity of the USSR".[29] In February 1980, a delegation ofTASS inNew York City maintains that, "One can see the contours of dangerous plans aimed at Pakistan's arch rivals – India, Soviet Union, and Afghanistan.[29] The change of administration in 1980 and immediate verbal threat of Soviet Union to Pakistan, brought the United States and Pakistan on a five-year trade, economic and military agreement, valuing approximately ~3.2 billion US dollars.[29][30]
The U.S. viewed the conflict in Afghanistan as an integralCold War struggle, and theCIA provided assistance toanti-Soviet forces through theISI, in a program calledOperation Cyclone.[31][32] The siphoning off of aid weapons, in which the weapons logistics and coordination were put under thePakistan Navy in theport city ofKarachi, contributed to disorder and violence there, while heroin entering from Afghanistan to pay for arms contributed to addiction problems.[33] The Pakistan Navy coordinated the foreign weapons into Afghanistan, while some of its high-ranking admirals were responsible for storing the weapons in the Navy logistics depot, later coordinated the weapons supply to Mujaheddin, out of complete revenge of Pakistan Navy's brutal loss and defeat at the hands of the Soviet backedIndian Navy in 1971.[28]
In November 1982, General Zia attended the funeral, in Moscow, of Leonid Brezhnev, the lateGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Soviet Foreign MinisterAndrei Gromyko and new Secretary GeneralYuri Andropov met with Zia there. Andropov expressed indignation over Pakistan's covert support of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union and its satellite state,Communist Afghanistan. Zia took his hand and assured him, "General Secretary, believe me, Pakistan wants nothing but very good relations with the Soviet Union".[34] According to Gromyko, Zia's sincerity convinced them, but Zia's actions didn't live up to his words.[34] Ironically, Zia directly dealt with theIsrael, working to build covert relations with Israel, allowing the country to actively participate in Soviet–Afghan War. Helped byISI, the Mossad channeled Soviet reversed engineered weapons to Afghanistan.[35] InCharlie Wilson's own word, Zia reported to have remarked to Israeli intelligence service: "Just don't put any stars of David on the boxes".[35]
Relations between Pakistan and the Soviet Union fell to a low point following the Soviet Union's military involvement in Afghanistan. Pakistan supported the anti-communist and religious extremist Mujahedeen forces who fought to overthrow the communist Afghan Government, which had usurped power in theSaur revolution in 1978, whereas the Soviets, ostensibly to support the communistPeople's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, entered Afghanistan,staged a coup, killedHafizullah Amin, and installed Soviet loyalistBabrak Karmal as leader.
Pakistani support for the Mujahideen later brought in the involvement of the United Kingdom, the United States, Saudi Arabia and China's support for the same anti-Soviet cause. Pakistan would receive aid from other Muslim nations, China, and the US in the advent of war by the USSR according to General Zia.[36] American presence in Pakistan as well as anti-Soviet/communist Mujahideen havens resulted in Soviet attempts to bombard targets in Pakistan by air that were seen as a threat to the security of Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Some of these resulted in air to air skirmishes between theSoviet Air Force and thePakistan Air Force (PAF).
Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto (daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) authorized further aggressive military operations in Afghanistan to topple the fragile communist regime and to end the Soviet influence.[37] One of her military authorizations was a military action inJalalabad ofAfghanistan in retaliation for the Soviet Union's long unconditional support of India, aproxy war in Pakistan, and Pakistan's loss in 1971 war.[37] This operation was "a defining moment for her [Benazir's] government" to prove the loyalty to Pakistan Armed Forces.[37] This operation planned by then-Director General of theInter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul, with inclusion ofU.S. ambassador to PakistanRobert Oakley.[37] Known asBattle of Jalalabad, it was intended to gain a conventional victory onSoviet Union after Soviet Union hadwithdrawn its troops. But the operation failed miserably and the Afghan army supported by Sovietscuds won the battle resulting in ISI chief being sacked by the Prime Minister[37]
At the end of years of Cold War, Soviet Union announced to establish a 1GW commercialnuclear power plant in Pakistan, but after witnessing its aging technology Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto, later followed by Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif, did not authorize the purchase and showed little interest in aging Soviet technology.[37]
In 1992,Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif released the details and company of Soviet soldiers to the Russian government whenAlexander Rutskoy visited the country, after meeting in a committee led by Deputy Foreign Minister of Pakistan,Shahryar Khan.[38]
As late in 1960s,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been determined to oust theUnited States and theCentral Intelligence Agency, and subsequently paid visit to Soviet Union as early in 1974.[39] Since then,Pakistan Peoples Party had been sympathetic to the Soviet Union, although it never allied with the Soviet Union nor the United States. The Soviet Union had extremely close relations with theAwami National Party (ANP) and theCommunist Party of Pakistan.[40] The Awami National Party, since its inception, has been a staunch and loyal supporter of theSoviet Union.[40] In 1980s, the ANP had strong link that traced back to theSoviet Union and its entire leadership escaped to theSoviet Union and theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan, whilst the third and second leadership took refuge inAfghanistan, the first and top level leadership was given asylum in Moscow and parts of theSoviet Union by theSoviet government.[40]
During the period of 1977–91, theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) started its covert political activities through the Awami National Party, many of its senior leadership served Soviets intermediary and advisers.[40] The ANP and the PPP and other leftist entities formed theMovement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) that began to resisted Zia'sright-wing alliance, who had been supporting theAfghan mujaheddin factions in Soviet Afghanistan.[40] During the most of 1980s, the ANP demanded the end ofbacking of Afghan mujaheddin and acceptance of Kabul's terms for speedy repatriation.[40] In 1987, calculations completed by Pakistan Institute of Public Opinions (PIPO), around ~66% of party's respondents expressed themselves against Pakistan's continuing support ofAfghan mujahideen.[40]
However, the MRD suffered many set backs because of its pro-Leninist stance which was not the "line"[41] of Kremlin at that time.[41] The events that led thecollapse of the Soviet Union shattered Pakistan's left.[41] It almost disappeared, untilBenazir Bhutto succeeded to unite the scattered leftists mass, which integrated into the PPP, and turned the radical and pro-Soviet leftists into moreSocial democracy with the principles ofdemocratic socialism.[41]
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