Pakistan | Iraq |
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Iraq and Pakistan established diplomatic relations in 1947. Cultural interaction and economic trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley date back to 1800 BCE. [1] In 1955, both Iraq and Pakistan joined the Baghdad Pact, a military alliance against the Soviet Union. [2] However, when the king of Iraq was assassinated in 1958, Iraq pulled out of the Baghdad Pact, which was subsequently renamed to the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). During the Ba'athist era, relations were at times cordial and sometimes hostile. However, following the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled the Ba'athist government, bilateral relations have stabilized; Pakistan has supported Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State and other militant groups active in the Iraqi conflict. Iraq maintains an embassy in Islamabad while Pakistan maintains an embassy in Baghdad.
The Zutt Rebellion was an uprising by the Zutt tribe, who were originally from the Indus Valley region in modern-day Pakistan. [5] [6] [7] The tribe, part of the Jat group, had migrated to the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) centuries before the rebellion. Over time, the Zutt became mercenaries for the Ummayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, settling in southern Iraq and forming the Banu Zutt or Az-Zutt tribe.
The rebellion began around 810, when Yusuf ibn Zutt, a leader of the tribe, challenged the Abbasid Caliphate and established semi-independent control over the marshlands of southern Iraq, including important areas like Kufa and Basra. The rebellion disrupted resource supplies to Baghdad, putting the Abbasid Caliphate in jeopardy. For years, the Zutt were successful in their raids, causing heavy damage to Abbasid forces and leaders. Their actions contributed heavily to the weakening of the Abbasid Empire, with their guerrilla tactics and raids advancing deep into Abbasid territory, further destabilizing the region. [8]
Pakistan and Iraq joined the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) in 1955 to oppose the Soviet Union; however, Iraq withdrew in 1959, following the 14 July Revolution. [9]
Relations between the two countries deteriorated during the 1970s, beginning with the 1971 Organization of Islamic Conference summit in Lahore. Iraq was the second country and first Arab country to recognise Bangladesh as a sovereign nation after East Germany in 1972. [10] Iraq's then-President Hassan al-Bakr financially and militarily supported the Balochistan Liberation Army during the internal rebellion in Balochistan. The support continued till 1973 when the Military Intelligence of Pakistan convinced Akbar Bugti to join Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's government as a governor of the province, who was a Baloch leader, to defect to Pakistan.[ citation needed ]
On 10 February 1973, the Punjab Rangers and the Islamabad Police raided the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad without warning the Iraqi government. This tactical operation revealed a large cache of arms, ammunition, and hand grenades. Other weapon supplies were found in crates marked "Foreign Ministry, Baghdad" and these were allegedly for the Pakistani Baloch rebels. Pakistan expelled and declared persona non grata for Iraqi Ambassador Hikmat Sulaiman and other consular staff.
In a letter written to President Richard Nixon on 14 February 1973, Pakistan's Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto blamed India, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Soviet Union, for involvement in a "conspiracy ... [with] subversive and irredentist elements which seek to disrupt Pakistan's integrity." [10]
A successful military operation led to dismantling of Baloch rebels in the province. [11] In the 1980s, the Martial Law Administrator of Balochistan, General Rahimuddin Khan, enacted policies that stabilized the province. [11] In the wake of the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in 1981 in the Middle East. [12] During the war, President Saddam Hussein unsuccessfully tried to work with the Baloch rebels to divert Iran's focus to Pakistan. [11] Most of the military instructors were from the Pakistan Armed Forces. Around 40,000 military personnel of Pakistan Armed Forces were stationed in Saudi Arabia to reinforce the internal and external security of the country. [12]
The Iran-Iraq war was a polarizing issue in Pakistan, with half of its population now under threat from its own Shiite population and from Iran. [13] President Zia increased Pakistan's security, knowing that since the country was close to the United States, it might get pulled into a war. The high-ranking members of Pakistan Armed Forces objected to the killing of Shiite pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. Zia did not issue any orders to Pakistan Armed Forces-Arab Contingent Forces, to engage any country militarily. [12]
The Iran–Iraq war provided Zia with an opportunity to contend with Iran. [12] Many stinger missiles shipped for Afghan Mujahideen were sold to Iran, which was a defining factor for the country in the Tanker War. [12]
In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait due to the increasing political tensions between the two Arab nations. Pakistan endorsed the United States-led military campaign against Iraq, with Chief of Army staff, General Aslam Beg and Chairman Joint Chiefs Admiral Iftikhar Sirohey overseeing the deployment of the Pakistan Armed Forces Middle East Contingent forces. [14]
General Beg accused Western countries of encouraging Iraq to invade Kuwait, though he continued to lead his armed forces against Iraq in support of Saudi Arabia. [15] [16] [17] As Iraq's war with Kuwait divided Pakistanis, Beg carefully commanded and deployed the Pakistan Armed Forces' contingent forces during the Operation Desert Storm. [14] [16] [18]
After the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq began building closer relations with India. [19] In 2000, then-Iraqi Vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan visited India, and on 6 August 2002, President Saddam Hussein conveyed Iraq's "unwavering support" to India over the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. India and Iraq established joint ministerial committees and trade delegations to promote extensive bilateral co-operation. [20] [21]
In 2003, before the outbreak of the Iraq War, Pakistan announced that it was opposed to any military action against Iraq. [22] Pakistan was under public pressure to vote against the war, although some had considered voting for the war. [23] However, after the war ended, Pakistan indicated that it was willing to send its Middle East military contingent forces to Iraq for peacekeeping if they required it. [24]
The United States and the United Kingdom made many calls for the deployment of the Pakistan military's contingent forces for peacekeeping operations in Iraq. [25] However, the Pakistan military officials said "given the uprising against the US-led coalition forces in Iraq and the internal anarchy there, sending our troops at this time would be like jumping into fire." [25] Tensions between the two countries remained intense over the issue of foreign hostages in Iraq. During 2004–05, 14 Pakistani citizens were made hostages out of which two were killed. [26] [27] However, the relations were normalized following the United States troops troop withdrawal from Iraq. In 2013, both countries signed a defence pact. [28] [29]
Iraq's ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Rushdi Al-Ani claimed that Iraq considers Pakistan "a Muslim super power" and that Iraq was willing to supply Pakistan with oil unconditionally. [30] In 2014 Iraq purchased the Super Mushak trainer aircraft from Pakistan as part of improving defense relations between the two countries. [31]
The War in Iraq (2013–2017), also known as the Third Iraq War, was an armed conflict between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State from 2013 to 2017. [32] [33] [34] Neither Iraqis nor Pakistani officials have previously acknowledged Pakistan's role in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq. During a news conference held at the embassy, Iraqi Ambassador Ali Yasin Muhammad Karim stated that Pakistan was one of several nations that backed Iraq in its war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS). The purpose of the press conference was to inform Pakistani media of the IS's evacuation from Mosul.
Speaking about Pakistan's cooperation, the ambassador stated that in addition to receiving intelligence on terrorists, Iraq also benefited from military medical care, weapons, and ammunition supplied by Pakistan. He mentioned that Pakistan had served as a training ground for a number of the Iraqi pilots that flew against the Islamic State.
According to the ambassador, Pakistan and Iraq might deal with the growing presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) in the region if they continue their intelligence collaboration. He also commended Pakistan for maintaining its neutral stance in the Middle East. [35] [36]
The state visits at ministerial levels by both countries have resulted in the improvement of relations between the two countries. Bilawal bhutto the foreign minister of Pakistan visited Baghdad on a three-day visit to sign Memorandum of Understanding among the Pakistani and Iraqi chambers of federation. During the visit, meetings were held by the foreign minister with the Iraqi leadership laid the foundation stone of Pakistan’s own embassy which was building in Iraq, according to the Pakistani foreign office. Both countries also signed agreements to end the diplomatic visas between both countries on diplomatic level. [37]
Pakistan's foreign minister stated Iraq ‘a true friend’ of Pakistan, he expressed the hope to reinvigorate fraternal ties and transform them into exemplary beneficial economic relations. Pakistan's Foreign Minister met with Iraq's President to strengthen ties between the two countries. They pledged to cooperate more in areas like water management, agriculture, defense, and trade. [38]
The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), formerly known as the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) and also known as the Baghdad Pact, was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed on 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Bangladesh was a province of Pakistan, known as East Pakistan, until its independence in 1971 which also marked the end of its position in the alliance. The alliance was dissolved on 16 March 1979.
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was a Pakistani military officer who served as the 6th president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in 1988. He rose to prominence after leading a coup on 5 July 1977, which overthrew the democratically elected government of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zia subsequently imposed martial law, suspended the constitution, and served as chief martial law administrator before assuming the presidency. Zia served as the 2nd chief of the Army Staff from 1976 to 1988, a position he later leveraged to execute a coup in 1977, which was the second coup in Pakistan's history of coups; the first occurred in 1958 under Ayub Khan.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a Pakistani barrister, politician, and statesman. He served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth prime minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. Bhutto founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and served as its chairman until his execution for murder.
The military history of Pakistan encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas constituting modern Pakistan and greater South Asia. The history of the modern-day military of Pakistan began in 1947, when Pakistan achieved its independence as a modern nation.
The Fourth Balochistan Conflict was a four-year military conflict in Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, between the Pakistan Army and Baloch separatists and tribesmen that lasted from 1973 to 1977.
Iran and Pakistan established relations on 14 August 1947, the day of the independence of Pakistan, when Iran became the first country to recognize Pakistan. Both sides continue to cooperate economically where possible and have formed alliances in a number of areas of mutual interest, such as fighting the drug trade along their border and combating the insurgency in the Balochistan region.
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south, Iran to the east, Syria to the west, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, and Jordan to the southwest. With a population exceeding 45 million, it is the 35th-most populous country, with the largest city being Baghdad, its capital, and consists of 18 governorates. Iraqi people are diverse; mostly Arabs, as well as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Most Iraqis are Muslims – minority faiths include Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Judaism. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognized in specific regions are Assyrian, Turkish, and Armenian.
Pakistan has both diplomatic and economic relationships with North Korea. The start of relations between the two countries emerged sometime in the 1970s during the democratic prime ministerialship of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, when he made a state visit to North Korea as part of his foreign policy campaign to strengthen the relations with socialist states. Pakistan has an embassy in Pyongyang while North Korea maintains an embassy in Islamabad, a vast Consulate-General in Karachi, and consulates in other cities of Pakistan.
The 1973 raid on the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan was an armed infiltration carried out by Pakistan in February 1973 at the embassy of Ba'athist Iraq in Islamabad. The raid, carried out by the Punjab Rangers and the Islamabad Police, was launched after the interception of information by Pakistani intelligence that uncovered large-scale covert Iraqi involvement in the supply of weapons and funds to militants waging an insurgency against Iran and Pakistan in the Balochistan region situated between the two countries. Following the embassy raid, an abundance of funds and Soviet armaments from Iraq that were meant for Baloch insurgents were seized by Pakistani forces, and the Iraqi ambassador to Pakistan as well as the embassy's staff were immediately expelled from Pakistan and declared personae non gratae. Pakistan's findings in the embassy raid heightened tensions between Iran and Iraq, which, in 1974, escalated into armed clashes over the Shatt al-Arab, a river that was formerly subject to a territorial dispute between the two nations that later served as one of the key factors that propelled them into a full-scale and protracted war in 1980 following the Iranian Revolution. The event led to a severe deterioration in Iraq–Pakistan relations and contributed to Pakistan's heavy backing of Iran during the latter's eight-year-long war with Iraq.
The political history of Pakistan is the narrative and analysis of political events, ideas, movements, and leaders of Pakistan. Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom on 14 August 1947, when the Presidencies and provinces of British India were divided by the United Kingdom, in a region which is commonly referred to as the Indian subcontinent. Since its independence, Pakistan has had a colorful yet turbulent political history at times, often characterized by martial law and inefficient leadership.
Iraqi–Turkish relations are foreign relations between Iraq and Turkey. From late 2011 relations between the two countries have undergone strained turbulence. The two countries share historical and cultural heritages.
The India–Iraq relations, also known as the Indo–Iraqi relations, are the bilateral relations between the Republic of India and the Republic of Iraq. Relations between the two nations have traditionally been friendly and collaborative. Cultural interaction and economic trade between Indus Valley and Mesopotamia date back to 1800 BCE. The 1952 Treaty of Friendship established and strengthened ties between contemporary India and Iraq. By the 1970s, Iraq was regarded as one of India's closest allies in the Middle East.
Iran–Iraq relations are the diplomatic and foreign relations between the two sovereign states of Iran and Iraq.
French–Iraq relations are the relations between France and Iraq. France played a major role in Iraqi secession from the Ottoman Empire and eventual freedom from British colonial status. The Franco-Iraqi relationship is often defined by conflict and peace, with France supporting Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, supporting intervention in Iraq in Operation Desert Storm, and opposing the 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq. As of 2004, Iraq maintains an embassy in Paris and France maintains an embassy in Baghdad and a consulate general in Erbil.
Pakistan–Syria relations are the historic, international, and bilateral relations between Syria and Pakistan. Syria has an embassy in Islamabad. Pakistan is represented in Syria through its embassy in Damascus and honorary consulate in Homs. Through the ancient civilization exchange, areas of modern Pakistan were part of the silk route with the Syria and for centuries, Syrian Islamic missionaries that introduced Islam in the parts of now integrated in Pakistan after 711 AD were from Syria.
Egypt–Pakistan relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Modern relations traced back to 1947 when founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah paid a farewell visit to Egypt on the special invitation sent by King Fuad II. Egypt has an embassy in Islamabad and Pakistan has an embassy in Cairo. Both countries are members of the OIC and the "D8". Pakistan and Egypt are both designated Major Non-NATO allies, giving them access to certain levels of hardware and surplus military equipment from the United States.
During the 1980s Iran–Iraq War, the foreign policy of Pakistan played a complex role in the war.
Zutt Rebellion was a rebellion by the Zutt (Jats) Who were inhabitants of lower Indus Valley (Pakistan), between 810 and 835 in Iraq during the reign of al-Ma'mun and continued to the era of al-Mu'tasim.
Zuṭṭ is an Arabicised form of Jat. Originally inhabitants of lower Indus Valley (Pakistan), Jats were present in Mesopotamia from the 5th century AD since the times of the Sasanian Empire, although their main migration occurred after the establishment of Umayyad Caliphate. They were one of the prominent ethnic groups in lower Iraq during the Islamic Golden Age, supplying mercenary soldiers to the Muslim states. Their mention fades from Arab chronicles after the 11th century.
The Capture of Basra was a significant event during the Zutt Rebellion, in which the Zutts seized control of the city and ruled it independently. The rebellion stemmed from their dominance over waterways and canals, allowing them to exert control over vital resources and trade routes in the region.
Zutts who inhabited the mountains of Baluchistan and deserts of Sindh.
...the Zutt from Pakistan to Iraq, it came from the Indian subcontinent...
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value: checksum (help)Arabic Geographers and Historians speak of the Zutt living in the Lower Indus Valley, "between Makran and Mansura" and sharing Sindh with the Meds.
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