Ans: Pak-Afghan Relations:
(i) Afghanistan is located in the west and the northwest of Pakistan. The nature
of Pak-Afghan relations has serious strategic implications for global politics.
Afghan governments never tried to establish friendly relations with Pakistan,
routine diplomatic relations, however, remained in order.
(ii) Despite the Quaid-e-Azam’s expression of good will for Afghan people,
immediately after independence, Afghanistan was the only country to vote
against Pakistan’s membership of the UN in September 1947. This
opposition was based on Afghanistan’s claim over a part of Pakistan’s
territory, which it called “Pakhtunistan”.
(iii) In spite of all these provocations from Afghan governments, Pakistan
observed restraint and continued to provide transit facilities to Afghan
vehicles carrying goods from Karachi ports to the landlocked Afghanistan.
This must be admitted that Afghanistan did not create any trouble for
Pakistan during our wars with India in 1965 and 1971.
(v) Pakistan gave full support to the Afghan resistance against Russian
occupation in 1979. More than 3 million Afghan refugees were allowed to
settle in Pakistan for a long period of time. It was only with Pakistan’s
support that the Afghans were able to liberate their country from Russian
Occupation.