PAKISTAN RELATIONS WITH ENGLAND

Brief Account:
Until the creation of Pakistan in 1947, it was part of the British Raj. Pakistan became
a Dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations, with the British Monarch serving as
Monarch of Pakistan. King George VI was king from 1947 until his death in 1952. Elizabeth
II then became queen until 1956, when Pakistan became a republic within
the Commonwealth of Nations. However the governors-general represented the link between
the peoples and the monarchy and did serve as a de facto heads of state (Ceremonial) at
various times. Both Pakistan and the England are members of the Commonwealth of Nations
and the United Nations.
The first Military leader Ayub Khan paid a state visit to the England in November
1966.The Queen of the England and Head of the Commonwealth, Elizabeth II, paid a state
visit to Pakistan in October 1997.
Due to post-independence migration from Pakistan to the England, especially during the
1950s and 1960s, between 750,000 and 1 million British people are of Pakistani descent
according to the 2001 census almost 143,000 lived in the capital, London.
Relations During A Past Decade:
Now, Pakistan is a declared nuclear power, which plays important part in its international
role. Pakistan has overall good foreign policy with England. England and Pakistan enjoy a
deep relationship that spans so many different areas. Whether it is the progress we are
making on the trade road map to boost investment and jobs in Pakistan and Britain, or
developing our cultural and education links, or confronting the shared threat of terrorism,
there are so many areas where Pakistan and the UK have mutual interests and are working
together.
There are a number of projects in Pakistan which are being completed with British
assistance. Highlighting some of the projects in Khyber Phakhtoonkhaw, 12 bridges
damaged due to floods have been completed while work on 50 others are in progress. A
number of schools destroyed by Taliban have been renovated while a multi-donor fund has
been established with the cooperation of Britain to support various other projects in KPK.
England is also providing assistance for primary education with availability of text books
and reforming the education system.

On 28 July 2010 UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that Pakistan promotes the export
of terrorism, which worsened the ties between the two countries. However, David
Cameron and Asif Ali
Zardari
later
met
at
David
Cameron's
country
residence Chequers where both agreed to mend ties. At the meeting Cameron spoke of the
"Unbreakable relationship between Britain and Pakistan based on our mutual interests".
While Zardari added that "Storms will come and storms will go and Pakistan and Britain
will stand together and face all the difficulties with dignity.
In December 2010, in an attempt to further mend fragile relations, Cameron proposed a
state visit to Pakistan after seeing off troops in Afghanistan. His visit, however, was snubbed
and rejected by Prime Minister Gillani, who said Pakistan did not want to be tagged on to a
visit to Afghanistan.
Foreign Secretary William Hague gave a speech about UK-Pakistan relations at the 60th
Anniversary of the Pakistan Society in which he said that,
They are also doing their part to help address poverty in Pakistan. British development aid
over the next four years will help over 4 million of children access schools; it will recruit
and train 90,000 new teachers and provide six million sets of text books. England is proud
that over 80 per cent of Higher Education officials in Pakistan have been trained by the
British Council, and that the Council cooperates with half of all the universities of Pakistan.
They want to see Pakistan develop and sustain a democratic future, not through us
interfering in the sovereign decisions of Pakistan and its parliament and government, but by
helping to strengthen the institutions that provide the framework for those decisions to be
made in a plural, legitimate and accountable way, and to share our experience and our
expertise where we can. England has consistent support to Pakistan for enhanced market
access to the European Union.
Ex-Prime Minister Gilani and Cameron discussed trade, economic growth and
development, cultural co-operation, security and education and reviewed the progress being
made since the two leaders made the commitment in April 2011 in Islamabad for a deeper
and broader dialogue between the two countries. Prime Minister Cameron acknowledged the
huge sacrifices by the people of Pakistan and said the UK stands along Pakistan, as a partner
against the menace of militancy, terrorism and extremism.
Ex-Prime Minister Gilani and Prime Minister Cameron also launched a Trade and
Investment Roadmap, setting out the steps both governments will take to promote
investment, support business and achieve the target of increasing bilateral trade to $2.5
billion by 2015.Gilani pledged his governments full support in ensuring an enabling
business environment to attract and sustain UK trade with, and investment in Pakistan. A

Joint Statement issued after the First Annual Summit of the UK-Pakistan Enhanced Strategic
Dialogue noted that since its launch in 2011 the dialogue between the UK and Pakistan has
become deeper and broader.
Consumer goods like ethnic furniture, high-quality textile goods, and other luxury items are
favoured by the Pakistani diaspora in higher income brackets. Given that the number of
Pakistanis settled in the UK has increased consistently every year and that the affluence of
the British Pakistani community is also improving, the UK demand for Pakistani products
can only go in one direction, naturally reflected in the statistics.
Pakistani communities all over the UK have created a strong Pakistani culture that has
influenced the culinary habits of even the general population. Those who go to ethnic
restaurants, many of which are in localities dominated by South Asians, are inclined to buy
food items, many of which are actually imported from Pakistan.
The UK can confidently and proudly call itself a friend of Pakistan. Thats what Foreign
Secretary William Hague told his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. He meant it. It sums up
the strength of the relations between our two countries.
The visit of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Britain improved Pak-UK bilateral
relations in different fields, including trade and investment, as she held wide ranging talks
covering full spectrum of relationship.Interaction of Hina Rabbani Khar with the British
officials remained very constructive and fruitful and hoped that it further enhanced trade and
investment ties between Pakistan and Britain. British High Commissioner said both sides
feel that Pak-UK relationship are very strong and improving day by day and the recent visit
by Hina Rabbani Khar will give impetus to these ties.
There has recently been much talk at the Pakistan High Commission in London about the
so-called success of its Trade Division in promoting bilateral trade between Pakistan and
UK. Statistics are impressive, as the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is
approximately 1.4 billion.
England and Pakistan enjoy unique people-to-people links with over one million British
citizens with close family ties to Pakistan; Pakistan and the UK are bound together by
longstanding ties based on shared history, values and rich people-to-people links.
Participating in cultural relations activities with the UK increased trust in the UK by 26 %
in Pakistan. People who trust the UK are interested in opportunities for trade and studying
here. They see us as open, welcoming and respectful of differences. Confident business
people willing to invest in new markets. Respectful, open and welcoming interactions.
Governments co-operating on the basis of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual
understanding.
William Hague said, whoever is in government after the election, Pakistan will have to face
serious challenges, whether it is the security situation linked to Afghanistan or the ill-

economic headwinds slowing growth across the globe. But the England will continue
working together with Pakistan to help meet these challenges and increase Pakistans
stability, prosperity and democratic wellbeing. We will do so because we have shared
interests and because, as William Hague said, we have a friendship for the long-term.