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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Pakistan
Index
Pakistan is located in a critical and historically
contentious part of the world. At the time of
independence, it
was the world's fifth largest nation. Yet three of its
close
neighbors (China, India, and the Soviet Union) were
larger, more
populous, and not necessarily well-intentioned. Pakistan
was
divided into two wings, East Pakistan (renamed Bangladesh
when it
became independent in 1971) and West Pakistan. It would
soon
become apparent that the country, divided by 1,600
kilometers of
a hostile India, was also divided by competing ethnic
groups with
only Islam serving as a tenuous link. Furthermore, West
Pakistan
was geographically a fairly narrow country, lacking in
strategic
depth--its main cities and communications arteries lay
close to
the border with India and thus were vulnerable to attack.
Additionally, the headwaters of Pakistan's rivers and
vital
irrigation systems were largely controlled by India. East
Pakistan, except for its Bay of Bengal coast, was also
virtually
surrounded by India.
There were other security complications. Pakistan's
borders
with India were new and hence were totally unfortified
and, in
most places, were drawn in ways that made them almost
indefensible. Because the borders were also undemarcated,
there
was ample opportunity for conflict. Although the military
gave
border control over to paramilitary forces, the armed
forces
remained ready for deployment in case of emergency.
Almost all of Pakistan's ethnic groups extended into
neighboring countries. This situation caused particular
problems
with the Afghans, who did not recognize the border as
valid and
hoped that their new neighbor would be unable to assert
its
interests.
Security concerns were not limited to the outside
world.
Despite the euphoria of nationhood, Pakistan was
increasingly
subject to the same kinds of internal stresses that had
characterized British India--fractious tribesmen,
dacoits
(armed gangs of thieves), and restive cities--and required
the
army to render aid-to-the-civil power. Even the need to
repress
nationalist movements recurred as regional groups within
Pakistan
sought greater autonomy from central control.
Although Pakistan perceived in India a threat to its
security, initially it was not able to defend itself
against that
perceived threat because of limited personnel and
matériel.
Pakistan therefore had to develop a comprehensive military
strategy that would offset at least some of its
weaknesses. High
hopes were placed on support from other Muslim nations,
some of
which could help financially and others of which would
provide
through alliances some of the geostrategic territorial
depth that
Pakistan lacked. But the emergence of the first state
created on
the basis of Islam was of relatively little interest to
the
nations of the Arab world. Britain helped significantly in
supplying officers and equipment, but it was itself in an
economic crisis and would not alienate India.
The year 1951 marked an important turning point. During
a
period of political tension, India moved troops toward the
frontier in a manner Pakistan interpreted as threatening.
The
year 1951 also saw the appointment of the first Pakistani
commander in chief of the army, Mohammad Ayub Khan, who
concentrated on reshaping the Pakistani military. Ayub
Khan put
special emphasis on training and operational planning, two
critical areas in which Pakistan did not depend completely
on
foreign resources. These tasks, plus reorganization,
occupied the
attention of the army well into the 1950s. Critical
shortages of
equipment, however, remained, requiring that Pakistan look
abroad
for its provisioning.
Data as of April 1994
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