Last week, Pakistan celebrated its Diamond Jubilee, the 75th anniversary of its founding. Pakistan has seen its 75 years of history. The 75-year journey of Pakistan was full of turmoil and suffering. There, the nation of Pakistan surprised the world with the carelessness with which the Kingdom of God was rescued from suffering. Immediately after the establishment of Pakistan, while there were problems like resettlement of refugees, on the one hand, the war with India over Kashmir in 1948 and India’s refusal to export agricultural products from Pakistan in 1948 crippled Pakistan’s economy. After independence, the challenges of meeting the local needs are not hidden from anyone, on one hand, India refused to give money to Pakistan, on the other hand, Pakistan was not able to feed its 30 million population and we have food needs. Most of it had to be imported from abroad. Here I am going to share some highlights of 75 years of history of Pakistan.
Pakistan in its 75 Years of History
Pakistan faced a wheat crisis immediately after independence due to a lack of foreign exchange reserves and resources. At that time, Pandit Nehru, Gandhi, and Maulana Abdul Qayyum Azad were predicting that Pakistan would soon become a failed state and be forced to merge with India again.
In the journey of 75 years, the nation not only proved all the estimates of the world wrong but with hard work day and night and iron determination, despite all the weaknesses, it made Pakistan a prominent place in the ranks of the nations of the world. In this 75-year journey, Pakistan emerged as the 24th largest economy in the world.
Before independence, out of a total of 921 industrial units in undivided India, only 34 units came to Pakistan. The GDP in 1950 was $3 billion which has now increased to $383 billion in 2022 while the GDP growth rate was recorded at 5.97% in 2022 compared to 1.8% in 1950, the per capita income in 1950 was 86 a dollar, which has now increased to one thousand 798 dollars in 2022, the tax revenue from 1950 to 2022 has increased from 31 crore rupees to 6 billion 12 crores 61 lakh rupees.
Economic difficulties and challenges are in place but it is a clear fact that today Pakistan is not only in a much better position economically but we have achieved amazing success in the agricultural sector for 75 years. Pakistan completed astonishing projects like Mangala and Tarbela Dam just 18 years after independence which also helped stabilize the growth of the agricultural sector.
Be it the world domination of hockey, cricket, and squash in the field of sports or Pakistan’s representation in the Olympics, 2 Nobel Prizes in the fields of science and peace, our journey of achievements and achievements has been extraordinary in every mode.
On the other hand, in 1965, the Pakistani nation and forces of Pakistan defeated an enemy 7 times bigger than themselves with extraordinary bravery and courage. Economic stability and growth as well as successful foreign policy are important components for building and developing any country.
Unfortunately, we achieved success on the front of foreign policy, but due to the vicissitudes of foreign policy, we failed to maintain these successes. Soon after the establishment of Pakistan, the war between Pakistan and India started over the Kashmir dispute. He could not implement the resolution he passed and no concrete progress was made to resolve the Kashmir issue.
In terms of foreign policy, Quaid-e-Azam’s vision was that there should be peace with all, and no enmity with anyone. Addressing the American public in a February 1948 broadcast, the Quaid-e-Azam said that “Pakistan should remain non-aligned in international relations.” Be friendly with and do not harbor any ill will against any country.
We believe in taking an honest and principled approach to national and international affairs and our endeavor is to help ensure world peace in all our endeavors. According to the United Nations Charter, Pakistan will never refrain from supporting and helping oppressed nations.
But after the death of Quaid-i-Azam, in 1950, Pakistan decided to join one of the blocs of the United States or the Soviet Union instead of the non-aligned movement in view of the wheat crisis, Kashmir issue, financial crisis, and possible economic development. Pakistan formally became a part of the American bloc after SATO and in 1955 joined the military alliance called SATO.
On the other hand, despite joining the Non-Aligned Movement, India continued to receive military and economic benefits from the Soviet Union and the United States simultaneously. After the US military sanctions on Pakistan after the 1965 war and the US parrot spectacle during the East Pakistan tragedy in 1971, Pakistan got the idea to shift its foreign policy.
During this time, Pakistan not only introduced China to the outside world but also played the role of a bridge for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The period from 1971 to 1978 is an important milestone in Pakistan’s foreign policy.
During this period, due to the charismatic personality of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan’s relations not only improved with the Soviet Union, thanks to which the first steel mill plant in Pakistan was set up in Karachi with the help of the Soviets Union.
Pakistan also established ideal relations with France and Pakistan signed an agreement with France to install the first nuclear power plant in Karachi. In 1974, Pakistan had the honor of hosting the second Islamic summit. He took the path of self-reliance and cooperation.
US sanctions after the nuclear explosions in 1998 and the decision to join the war on terror that began after the 9/11 attacks have derailed development and doubled the pace of our decline. Our neighboring country India became independent from us. Till the 1960s, whether it was the science and technology sector or space research, agricultural sector, or industrial development, Pakistan was at the forefront of the rapidly developing countries not only in India but also in Asia.
Today, despite the most poverty and other problems in the world, India’s diplomatic position and foreign policy are so strong that India has become the largest buyer of Russian oil in the world despite being a part of the US military alliance and international sanctions on Russia.
Despite border disputes and skirmishes with China, India-China bilateral trade has crossed $120 billion, which was only $1.83 billion in 2001. People’s lives and sufferings and difficulties keep coming. All the great nations of the world, including China, India, and Japan, have been facing economic difficulties.
Conclusion
A strong foreign policy is the only weapon in today’s world that can turn the sufferings and difficulties of any nation into opportunities, if we want to get rid of our economic problems then we need a strong and solid foreign policy. This can easily turn our current economic woes into economic opportunities, but a strong foreign policy requires all the national leadership to put aside their political issues and sit together.
