Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Internal Challenges in New Millennium
Muqarrab Akbar∗
Abstract:
Pakistan’s foreign policy has always been identified as policy of self-abnegation. It is blamed that external factors particularly USA play a vital role in the shaping of foreign policy of Pakistan but there are many internal factors pose challenges to Pakistan’s foreign policy. Pakistan is an ideological state hence ideology has a special place in its foreign policy and it has been a central focus in the foreign policy for all time. There is a famous U-turn in Pakistan’s foreign policy in recent era and this shift in policy has provoked an intense debate at home and abroad. Territorial integrity is the foremost important foreign policy goal of any country and it deals with the security that may be external or internal or both. Similarly, most important issue in Pakistan’s foreign policy is security concerns because Pakistan has one of the most complex threat analyses of any state in the world. There are many problems at home related to grievances against foreign policy particularly on the issue and pattern of war on terrorism. This paper deals with the theoretical aspect of term foreign policy and analyzes the Pakistan’s foreign policy with special reference to the issue of security. What are the threats and challenges to the security of Pakistan and what are modern trends adopted by Pakistan to counter these security threats. A detailed analysis has been given of domestic challenges in making an effective foreign policy like radical Islam and regional separatism, terrorism, WANA issue and remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Foreign Policy:
Foreign policy can be said to have emerged when contacts between the earliest human societies took place1. Foreign policy behavior refers to the actions states take toward each other. It is important to note that these actions usually are not taken as ends in