Daily Times

Soon after independence in 1947, government leaders in the United States and the former Soviet Union invited the Pakistani leadership to visit these countries. Then prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, declined the Soviet invitation and paid an official visit to the US. Pakistan later joined the South East Asian Treaty Organisation and the Central Treaty Organisation. This further damaged the relations with Russia.

From 1950 onwards Russia treated India as an ally while Pakistan joined the US camp. It was during Khrushchev’s tenure that the Soviet Union decided to neutralize American influence in the region. In 1980, a US spy plane taking off from Badaber in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was shot down by the Soviet Army. The incident further soured relations between Pakistan and Russia. After the 1965 war, the Soviet Union hosted a peace conference in Tashkent in 1966 and facilitated the signing of the Tashkent Declaration.

In 1971, ties between the two countries deteriorated further after Pakistan facilitated a secret visit to China by Henry Kissinger. Russia played a key role in the 1971 war, helping India in its support of Mukhti Bahini and later the Indian attack on East Pakistan by supplying weapons.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited Soviet Union twice during his tenure and the Soviet Union agreed to build a steel mill in Pakistan. However, Pakistan’s relations with the Soviet Union deteriorated after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 in support of Noor Muhammad Taraki who came to power after the Saur revolution.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan changed the dynamics of the entire region. The Soviet Union thereafter continuously accused Pakistan of interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Pakistan, the West and Saudi Arabia supported Afghan Mujahideen who were waging a war against Soviets and Afghan forces.

Meanwhile, Russia maintained warm relations with India. It supported India in its disputes with Pakistan, especially on the Kashmir issue. Relations with Pakistan improved only after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Pakistan and Russia granted each other the most favoured nation status and signed a number of trade and economic cooperation agreements. After Kosygin’s visit to Pakistan in 1969, Mikhail Fradkov was the first Russian prime minister to visit Pakistan (on April 13, 2007).

India will no longer get preferential treatment from Russia vis a vis Pakistan

In October 2012, Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, then chief of army staff, visited Moscow. This provided an opportunity for interaction at military levels.

Today, Pakistan and Russia have strategic ties. This is because of a shared interest in the emerging threat in the region, specifically Afghanistan, from non-state militants. Military-to-military cooperation between Russian and Pakistan is increasing. In 2014, the Pakistan-Russia Defence Agreement was signed leading to an increase in defence cooperation and intelligence cooperation. In 2017, a high-level Russian military delegation visited the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and studied Pakistan’s counter terrorism efforts.

In 2016, the two countries held their first joint defence exercises and in 2017 the second. A Pakistan Army contingent participated in a six-day exercise – Peace Mission 2018. The exercise was hosted by Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Chebarkul town of Russia.

In 2016, Russia supplied MI-35 assault helicopters worth $153 million to Pakistan. India lodged a protest with Russia over its joint military exercises with Pakistan. India resented these exercises and Indian ambassador to Russia said these could create problems and that the Russian approach was wrong.

Russia has shown clear signs of improving relations with Pakistan based on trust and mutual cooperation. Moscow is now backing a peace process in Afghanistan and seeks to reconcile with the Taliban and the Afghan government. Russia is also paying attention to Eurasian economic integration with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Cargo from Europe via rail will go through Russia, generating revenue for Russia.

According to the Russian news agency, Pakistan has shown interest in purchasing Russian military hardware worth $9 billion. This will include jets, air defence systems, tanks and combat helicopters. This means that Pakistan’s reliance on US weapons is decreasing. Never in the past has Pakistan purchased so much military hardware. The deal is expected to have a training component. The United States has recently stopped inviting Pakistan’s military officers to its training programmes. Russia is likely to fill the gap. This implies that Russia will no longer give preferential treatment to its India vis a vis Pakistan.

Pakistan sees Russia as an ally in Afghanistan and Central Asia. At the end of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China) summit, India was highly annoyed because Russia did not support a statement pointing a finger at Pakistan for terrorism in the region. Times of India carried the headline “BRICS Summit: China bulldozed India’s security concern as Russia looked another way”. President Vladimir Putin was requested to condemn the 2016 Uri attack. The request was not honoured. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said recently that Russia intended to host peace talks between Pakistan and India. Russian role and influence as an international player in maintaining world order and peace as a permanent member of the UNSC and also as a player in Afghanistan cannot be ignored.

After the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, Russia will be an important player for peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. Pakistan is of greater importance for Russia due to Afghanistan and the CPEC, which will provide it access to the Arabian Sea and beyond. After the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan are real stakeholders in peace in Afghanistan.

Russia is worried that the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is gaining a foothold in Afghanistan and is trying to use Afghanistan to threaten Russian regional security interest. Now Russia has become a supreme balancing force in Afro-Eurasia. Pakistan can help Russia bring peace to Afghanistan. Peace and stability in the Central Asian States will thus be assured. Pakistan and Russia must coordinate their policies to prevent the outbreak of another Afghan civil war following the US withdrawal. Peace and stability in Afghanistan means peace and stability in Central Asian States and Pakistan. Now is the time for Pakistan to seize the opportunity for close strategic, military and economic relations with Russia. This should not annoy the US.

According to Pakistani media, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Pakistan in a couple of months. The visit is expected to usher in a new era of cooperation between the two countries and to have a deep impact on the region.

The writer is a freelancer