Relations have been developing progressively, since the Alliance deployed a disaster-response operation to assist Pakistan following the devastating earthquake in 2005.
High-level political exchanges have been taking place regularly with visits by former NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer to Pakistan in May 2007 and January 2009. President Asif Ali Zardari also visited NATO HQ to address the North Atlantic Council on his vision for cooperation.
With NATO leading the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghanistan is an important focus of cooperation (see below). At NATO’s summit meeting in Strasbourg and Kehl in April 2009, Allied leaders pledged “to reinforce our cooperation with all Afghanistan’s neighbours, especially Pakistan.” Allied nations and Pakistan, as democracies, shared a common interest in defeating extremism and stabilize the region.
NATO-Pakistan relations go beyond the Alliance’s mission in Afghanistan. NATO and Pakistan have developed regular exchanges at various levels, including visits by senior officials and opinion leaders. Military contacts are also taking place, and NATO has agreed to open selected training and education courses to Pakistani officers.
Such interactions provide opportunities to support the democratically elected authorities, cooperate with the military but also build trust and understanding, and to promote a culture of cooperative security focused on areas of common interest, such as regional stability and the fight against terrorism. NATO also aims at multiplying the interaction with parliamentarians, opnion leaders and the civil society at large to enlist support for NATO’s policies in the fight against terrorism.
Cooperation on Afghanistan
Pakistan’s support for the efforts of NATO and the international community in Afghanistan remains crucial for the success of the mission there.
Instability, extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan pose a threat to Pakistan, as well as to the wider international community. As Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz put it during a visit to NATO on 30 January 2007, “Pakistan is committed to a strong, stable Afghanistan. The one country that will benefit the most, after Afghanistan itself, will be Pakistan.”
The growing NATO-Pakistan military-to-military cooperation in the context of Afghanistan is reflected in the work of the Tripartite Commission, a joint forum on military and security issues which brings together representatives from the NATO-led ISAF operation, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Tripartite Commission meets regularly at various levels and is used to exchange views, as well as to discuss security matters of mutual concern. Its four main areas of cooperation are intelligence sharing, border security, countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and initiatives relating to information operations. A joint Afghan, ISAF and Pakistani intelligence centre was opened in Kabul in January 2007 to improve coordination within the Tripartite Commission.
NATO welcomes Pakistan’s constructive approach towards security and stability in the region, as well as the Pakistani authorities’ efforts to protect ISAF supply lines through Khyber.
NATO-Pakistan high-level political talks have also addressed the issues related to drug cultivation in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees.
Evolution of relations
After Pakistan was struck by a devastating earthquake in October 2005, NATO launched an airlift of urgently-needed supplies and deployed engineers, medical units and specialist equipment to the country. A massive air-bridge was established, and assets of the NATO Response Force (NRF) were used in the effort.
Following the end of the mission in February 2006, political dialogue between NATO and Pakistan intensified. The relationship has gradually been augmented by practical cooperation, starting with the opening of NATO training courses to Pakistani officers. Since 2009, NATo has developed a Tailored Cooperative Package of Activities, listing a series of training opportunities open to the participation of Pakistani officers and representatives.
Key milestones
| 2005 | (March) Visit to Pakistan by Ambassador Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General. |
|---|---|
| (October) Start of Pakistan earthquake relief operation; NATO airlifts supplies via two air bridges, from Germany and Turkey. | |
| (December) General Ahsan Saleem Hyat, Vice Chief of Pakistani Army Staff, visits NATO teams at Arja, Pakistan. | |
| 2006 | (January) End of NATO’s earthquake relief operation in Pakistan. Almost 3500 tons of relief supplies, over 7600 people moved, more than 8000 patients treated. In addition, roads cleared, schools and shelters built. |
| (May) Alliance officials visit Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other officials in Islamabad. | |
| (September) First Pakistani military officers and civilians attend courses at NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany. | |
| (November) First visit by top Pakistani officer, General Ehsan ul Haq, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to NATO Headquarters. | |
| 2007 | (January) Opening of Joint Intelligence Operations Centre (JIOC) at ISAF HQ. The JIOC facilitates joint intelligence operations between ISAF and the Pakistani and Afghan armies. . |
| (January) Visit to NATO by Prime Minister of Pakistan; NATO and Pakistan agree on Afghanistan approach. | |
| (February) Visit of high-level Pakistani civil and military officials, as well as representatives of the think-tank community, to NATO HQ and commands. | |
| (May) First visit by a NATO Secretary General to Pakistan. NATO and Pakistan agree to hold regular high-level political exchanges. | |
| 2008 | (January) NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met President Pervez Musharraf in Brussels to discuss current security situation in the region and cooperation between NATO and Pakistan. |
| (January) A visit by the Senate’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence was organised to NATO HQ and SHAPE. Pakistani parliamentarians have also been invited by the NPA to its plenary meetings including in Berlin and Valencia | |
| (November) Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani meets NATO Secretary General at NATO Headquarters. | |
| 2009 | (January) NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visits Pakistan for meetings with President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, Foreign Minister Qureshi, Defence Minister Mukhtar and General Kayani, Chief of the General Staff, as well as other senior officials. |
| (January) The North Atlantic Council agree on the role of the Embassy of Turkey in Islamabad as the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Pakistan. This crucial step complements the practical cooperation framework to facilitate political exchange and working-level coordination. | |
| (May) Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Kayani visits NATO Headquarters for meetings with NATO's civilian and military leadership. | |
| (June) President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari visits NATO Headquarters for a meeting with the North Atlantic Council – the first elected President of Pakistan to address the Council. | |
| (August) A group of Pakistani opinion leaders visits NATO Headquarters and SHAPE. | |
| (October) A seminar on Pakistan is held, at which international experts on the country engage in discussion with NATO Ambassadors. | |
| (December) NATO and Pakistan establish an annual work programme or Individual Tailored Cooperation Package (TCP) of activities which provides the basis for practical cooperation. | |
| 2010 | (February) Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, meets the Secretary General and addresses the North Atlantic Council. |