Z. A. Bhutto's Bilateral Diplomacy: Transforming Pakistan's Foreign Policy Landscape

Bilateralism is generally the commitment of both sides equally. Politically, it maintains equal relationships between the two major powers regardless of their relationships with other nations. Zulfiqar Ali Bento took over the presidency of Pakistan during a time when the country was stripped from its east wing, Pakistan was facing the worst of its problems, and its people were in an extremely low mood. Bhutto opted for an independent foreign policy designed to free Pakistan from dependence on the U.S. and proved effective in its objectives. Before, Pakistan was a staunch ally of the U.S.-supported alliance system intended to thwart the influences of Soviet communism. The U.S. did not prohibit the Indian army from participating in the civil war. Therefore the U.S., while being the most reliable ally for Pakistan, was unable to help maintain Pakistan's status quo after the eastern part's demise. This incident ignited a fire in the thought process of the elites of politics in Pakistan and prompted the leaders of Pakistan to initiate the process of bilateral relations.

Pakistan was a member of the Alliance system to get some assurances from the U.S. to end any aggression by India; however, the central paradox was that the U.S. was solely concerned with dismantling communism, so the alliance system didn't protect the interests of Pakistan as a whole. Z. A. Bhutto, after assuming the presidency, decided to diversify the options available to Pakistani foreign policy. He crafted it based on bilateralism, which means that Pakistan could pursue an independent foreign policy that did not have any connection to other nations' interests. A new international policy will be aimed at establishing bilateral relationships with no interference from an outside power. Through his acute political awareness and extensive public experience, the politician hoped to boost confidence in the nation and the people who had suffered the devastating loss of one of its components. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Bhutto designed Pakistan's foreign policy with a fresh approach based on its fundamental interests. Despite the criticism from his current political class, he held the post of prime minister and also as a foreign official. In his words, 'bilateralism isn't a source of uncertainty in the context of the foreign policy in Pakistan '. In his essay " Bilateralism: New Horizons", published by the Pakistan institute of international affairs, he claims that the system of alliances to benefit benefits doesn't have to justify itself. He believes that to apply bilateralism, and it is essential to study the changing world in the context of the nascent beginning, early development, and maturation of Pakistan as a country.

As someone with exceptional diplomatic abilities, Bhutto introduced a new foreign policy toward India following the debacle in Bangladesh. After a long debate, he implemented the bilateralism approach to Pakistan and India's relationship. He accepted the long-standing Indian demand for settling all outstanding issues between the two countries without the intervention from any other third party, however, bilaterally. He signed the Simla agreement during talks in meetings with Indra Gandhi, then premier of India. He did not take a stand on the Kashmir issue and ignored Bengal as a former part of Pakistan. The critics of his foreign policy toward India stated the following: Indra, and he are students of Oxford University, which led to the formulation of policies on an individual basis, not on a national level. Before that, Indra was in the time of Ayub Khan, who fought for the causes that were the cause of Kashmiris. He didn't leave the issue of Kashmir. Still, he accepted that only two countries could resolve the issue, as the U.N.O. and other considerable powers failed to resolve issues related to Kashmir Issues despite two wars.

Bhutto utilized his theory of bilateralism to broaden Pakistan's foreign policy. He tried many ways to reach out to those in the leadership of third-world and Muslim countries. In this manner, he needed to follow U.S. guidelines to initiate the program. In this manner, Pakistan could establish friendships with countries such as Syria and Libya that were not considered U.S. allies. The Arab causes, along with the issue of racism among Africans, influence the views of Pakistan in the international arena and determine how relations are conducted. Following the Second World War, global bipolarity created the concept of non-alignment(a force that balances force)from adhering to the superpowers but maintaining its independence and was adopted by most Asian-African countries that do not wish to be classified as an ally. However, bilateralism was compatible with developing multilateral relations with states of the eastern region, reducing the influence of the United States on their foreign policies of Pakistan. Bhutto supported the view that bilateral relations assisted Pakistan in avoiding the disloyal shoals and currents, which facilitated the movement of strategically placed states within the complicated.

In the aftermath of Z.'s "bilateralism," It was believed that Pakistan would no longer belong to the alliance system of the cold war and that it would establish equal relations with capitalist and communist states. In this manner, Z. A. Bhutto visited the Soviet Union and was able to begin a new period that was a time of cooperation with the Communist state, which granted Pakistan its largest industrial facility, i.e. Te Steel Mill of Pakistan. Pakistan began to improve its relationship with China, Eastern Europe and North Korea. Then, he decided to pull out of the South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO). The affiliation of Pakistan with the Commonwealth of Nations was also terminated. Still, membership in the Central Treaty Organization was retained since it showed the sentiment of friendship shared by Pakistan with Iran and Turkey. This way, Pakistan was able to diversify the options for its foreign policies toward the communist block as well as towards the Islamic world. Also, the successful Lahore summit in 1974 encouraged Bhutto to establish friendly relations with the world. Pakistan also acknowledged Bangladesh during the Lahore summit of 1974, and relations with middle-east countries were further strengthened. It convinced Bhutto that he could handle his security in Pakistan without the assistance of Washington.

Bhutto was fully aware of Pakistan's geopolitical position and position and was aware that maintaining favourable relations with oil-producing countries could bring economic growth to Pakistan. The other critical tenets of Bhutto's bilateralism included the solidarity of the Afro-Asian countries, the ineffectiveness of the arms race, particularly of the Indian Ocean as a nuclear-free zone, and non-alignment with the powerhouse by establishing a unique economic system in the third-world nations.

In conclusion, Bhutto's Bilateralism has helped Pakistan redefine the boundaries of its foreign policies, and Pakistan could follow an essentially independent foreign policy. Bhutto's bilateralism was unable to attain its goals vis-a- towards India and resolve a long-standing dispute with India. The Kashmir issue was placed on the back burner, and no real progress was made. Finally, Z. A. Bhutto paid the cost of bilateralism in the end when he failed to gain any moral or political backing from western authorities during his lengthy trial in the courts of Pakistan that ended with his execution.