Pak-USA strategic partnership

Pakistan and USA have had military relations ever since the birth of Pakistan as an independent
state, so much that President Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, called Pakistan
“America’s most allied ally in Asia”. The two countries have cooperated in the past against militant
groups involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Bosnia. The Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force
engage in joint exercises with the American Army and Air Force.

In an article in Dawn newspaper1, the author reflected light upon a letter sent by the first governor
general and founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to the US, asking for “$2 billion in military
and financial aid, including $170 million for the army, $75 million for the air force, $60 million for the
navy, and $700 million each for industrial and agricultural development.”

In the early 1950s, the US extended an official invitation to the Indian prime minister Nehru,
whereas the prime minister of Pakistan, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan was not invited. The reason noted here
was that the US interests in India were far more important for it to risk being involved with Pakistan.
Liaquat Ali’s speeches at that time sparked conflict amongst India and Pakistan. However, in May
1950, Liaquat Ali Khan visited the US on the invitation of Harry Truman, the president of the US at
that time. The visit proved to be quite successful as it opened a gateway to Pak-US friendship. After
his return, Truman stated, “Pakistan’s association would become a vital factor for stability of the
Near East region. Pakistan is also a valuable ally in South Asia due to its strategic location in the
Indian Ocean and its access Central Asia.” In 1952, the US provided economic assistance to Pakistan
as ‘defense support', which was a part of US security strategy for Asia. The aid was used by Pakistan
to fill its stock of ammunition and spare parts.

On February 22, 1954, Pakistan made a formal appeal for military aid, and after three days
Eisenhower accepted Pakistan’s request and decided under Manual Defense Assistance Program, to
help Pakistan.

From 1954 to 1956, the US gave Pakistan about $1400 million in military aid, helping Pakistan Army
develop infrastructure, mobility and firepower, and improve command, control, communication and
intelligence capabilities. Pakistan began to receive more than 100 Sabre F-86F aircraft that, armed
with Sidewinder missiles, made the core of its air force.

Pakistan had also received several hundred M47 and M48 Patton tanks and artillery equipment that
gave it the upper hand over India. During the 1971 war, a carrier task force of America’s Seventh
Fleet that included nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Enterprise, several destroyers and nuclear-
powered attack submarine Gurnard arrived in the Bay of Bengal in support of Pakistan. But Pakistan
Army surrendered a day later.

In the 1980s, after Pakistan rejected a $400 million aid package as peanuts, more than $6 billion flew
into the country along with weapons that included about a thousand Stinger missiles, as it fought a
perceived Soviet threat in Afghanistan and developed a ‘strategic depth’.

Since 9/11 (blamed on the ‘strategic assets’ that Pakistan developed in Afghanistan), we received
more than $14 billion in military aid and reimbursements, 17 F-16 aircraft and artillery equipment
despite substantial doubts on its commitment to the war on terror. Pakistan Navy received the PNS
Alamgir frigate, boats, helicopters and two P-3C Orion surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft (with
six in the pipeline) and assigned a key role in the Arabian Sea.

1
DAWN, Karachi, 13/07/2011, What has America done for Pakistan?
Aside from the support Pakistan received from the US, Pakistan leased its military bases to the US,
which were mainly used for logistics, intelligence gathering, and as relief efforts. These military bases
were used to initiate attacks on Afghanistan by US during the 20-year-long war on terror. Between
2004 and 2018, the US military attacked thousands of targets in northwest Pakistan using drones
operated under the control of CIA. Most of these attacks were in FATA along the Afghan border in
KPK.

In total, the US has obligated nearly $78.3 billion to Pakistan between 1948 and 2016. 2 After the
Trump administration prevented Pakistan's access to the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) plan, the U.S. military later claimed to be restart the program with Pakistani military,
but it has never been restored due to the COVID-19 epidemic and other reasons. At the same time,
the United States cancelled all military aid to Pakistan.

2
www.wikipedia.com “Pakistan-United States military relations”