Pakistan's missed opportunity

[Chinese-Dragon]

In 1962... we asked Pakistan to join us in the attack against India.

But Ayub Khan preferred to side with India, for his own reasons. He had already offered a joint-defence pact to India three years earlier in 1959 during the Sino-Indian border clashes that year:

Bhutto`s foreign policy legacy - DAWN.COM

The roots of our strategic relationship with China go back to the India-China clashes in October 1959 in Ladakh. Bhutto was then leading Pakistan's delegation at the UN General Assembly.

He was alarmed at President Ayub Khan's offer of joint defence to India. Bhutto felt that only those unlettered in international affairs could believe that such an offer would be accepted. In fact, it was more likely to incur the hostility of China which had so far, despite our membership of anti-communist western alliances, refrained from criticising Pakistan.

I would argue that if Pakistan had joined us in 1962, all of Kashmir would currently be in Pakistan's possession.

And we would probably have had a mutual defence pact, similar to the one between China and North Korea that saw massive Chinese military intervention during the Korean War, leading to America's longest ever retreat in history.

Such a mutual defence pact could have also prevented the loss of East Pakistan.

As it stands today, there is no mutual defence pact between China and Pakistan. I would argue that Ayub Khan's decision to side with India instead of China was a massive lost opportunity for Pakistan, and that should this opportunity arise again in the future, the other path would have been a better choice.

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

In 1962... we asked Pakistan to join us in the attack against India.

But Ayub Khan preferred to side with India, possibly for cultural reasons. He had already offered a joint-defence pact to India in 1959 during the Sino-Indian border clashes that year:

It was not for "cultural reasons", but certainly it was a great opportunity, which we lost.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

It was not for "cultural reasons", but certainly it was a great opportunity, which we lost.

I was unsure about that part, which is why I said "possibly".

Why else would he have done it though?

 

[Pakistanisage]

Ayub Khan made a lot of dumb mistakes. Pakistani people were never told of this Chinese offer. Had this been made public 90% of Pakistanis would have voted to take the Chinese up on their offer.

In retrospect, Ayub Khan did not care what Indians thought as there was no love lost between India and Pakistan since 1947 but probably he was afraid of losing American support. In 1962, Pakistan relied heavily on the US Aid and that had more to do to deter Ayub Khan from taking the Chinese up on their offer.

This time if China ever offers a Defence pact with Pakistan, no government in Pakistan could dare to ignore that especially if the offer was known publicly.

I was unsure about that part, which is why I said "possibly".

Why else would he have done it though?

He was afraid of losing the USA support.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

This time if China ever offers a Defence pact with Pakistan, no government in Pakistan could dare to ignore that especially if the offer was known publicly.

America would do everything they could to stop that from happening.

And America has enormous amounts of influence amongst many politicians in the Pakistani government. They could just do another Raymond Davis and shut it down, using the corrupt politicians under their control.

The ideal solution of course is to purge all traitors from the Pakistani government.

Simple rule, the interests of your country should be above ALL else in the realm of politics. Anyone who puts the interests of America or India above the interests of Pakistan should be sent to a firing squad.

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

I was unsure about that part, which is why I said "possibly".

Why else would he have done it though?

When China invaded India on 20 th October, 1962, five hours before announcing , she sent a secret message of the same to Pakistan's president Ayub Khan for utilising the golden opportunity by invading Kashmir & capturing that within two days as entire Indian army was being swept away like a storm on China's border.

Gen Ayub's secretary, Qudratullah Shahab wrote in his big book 'Shahab Nama' about that. The book, written in 1984, has now reached Kashmir Valley too & is being sold like a hot cake. It reveals that before Ayub thought anything, within few days USA & British govts pressurised Pakistan diplomatically for not taking any advantage of that golden opportunity on Kashmir & promised solidly that they would force India to solve Kashmir dispute speedily, Shahab never relied both nations & that was a lost opportunity.

 

[third eye]

It is easy to form an opinion with the benefit of hind sight.

Destinies are made on decisions taken & they are taken based on inputs available back then.

Pakistan then was a member of SEATO, an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, it was Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia.

How could it have sided with China ? .. and would the US allowed it to do so , i.e side with a communist nation against a non communist one ? Never.

Was China in a position to replace US as an aid giver to Pakistan then ..No.

Was Pakistan then in a position to go against the US ..No.

Remember Ayub's claim to fame was his bonhomie with the west not with the East.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

It is easy to form an opinion with the benefit of hind sight.

This entire thread is about hindsight.

Which may become important in the future, if the same choice and the same opportunity presents itself again.

Remember Ayub's claim to fame was his bonhomie with the west not with the East.

Why?

 

[Sugarcane]

In long list of blunders of our leaders this surely was big one, reason of this was that he was sitting in Amereeka's lap not cultural ties or whatsoever.

 

[Pakistanisage]

America would do everything they could to stop that from happening.

And America has enormous amounts of influence amongst many politicians in the Pakistani government. They would just do another Raymond Davis and shut it down, using the corrupt politicians under their control.

In Pakistan, the biggest power is not America or the Pakistani Politicians that the US owns. The Pakistani Public holds the power and I can assure you my friend, if China ever asked Pakistan to make a Defence pact wth China, the Pakistani Public will be in the streets to support that idea. The Pakistani public can bring any govt. in Pakistan to their knees in two hours if they come out in the streets and the politicians know that.

Please read the surveys made by American media that clearly shows that 90%+ Pakistani Public views China most favourably which BTW is the highest positive rating of China with any country in the World.

 

[SarthakGanguly]

It is easy to form an opinion with the benefit of hind sight.

Destinies are made on decisions taken & they are taken based on inputs available back then.

Pakistan then was a member of SEATO, an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, it was Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia.

How could it have sided with China ? .. and would the US allowed it to do so , i.e side with a communist nation against a non communist one ? Never.

Was China in a position to replace US as an aid giver to Pakistan then ..No.

Was Pakistan then in a position to go against the US ..No.

Remember Ayub's claim to fame was his bonhomie with the west not with the East.

Exactly. In fact had India not been strictly into NAM, India and Pakistan could well have been allies!
1. Besides, siding with China would have meant stopping all military aid - without which Pakistan could not have sustained a military conflict for long.
2. Soviet Union on the other hand would have gone on an overdrive. Remember - they were just to the north of Pakistan then.
3. Pakistan Armed Forces were not prepared for combat in the winter of 62. Troops were not mobilized, logistical arrangements were not made to support the push into Kashmir.
4. No major Indian forces were transferred from the Pak border to the Eastern Front. Pakistan would have had to face the same rested enemy - not a defeated one of the North East.
5. The Line in Kashmir held under H.Singh. It was dented and pushed back but no Indian force was routed and morale remained high(unlike NEFA).
6. India would have probably been forced into the Soviet Camp and a major conflict would have begun. A conflict no side could afford to lose, but able to win. India and China being a more populous and larger country could have suffered this battle of attrition. Pakistan could not.

So in short - Pakistan could not have joined China in the attack.

 

[Dem!god]

In 1962... we asked Pakistan to join us in the attack against India.

and why didn't you joined pakistan in 1965, 1971 and 1999..
were your generals afraid or have signed peace pact with india..
typical chinese drama..

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

When China invaded India on 20 th October, 1962, five hours before announcing , she sent a secret message of the same to Pakistan's president Ayub Khan for utilising the golden opportunity by invading Kashmir & capturing that within two days as entire Indian army was being swept away like a storm on China's border.

Gen Ayub's secretary, Qudratullah Shahab wrote in his big book 'Shahab Nama' about that. The book, written in 1984, has now reached Kashmir Valley too & is being sold like a hot cake. It reveals that before Ayub thought anything, within few days USA & British govts pressurised Pakistan diplomatically for not taking any advantage of that golden opportunity on Kashmir & promised solidly that they would force India to solve Kashmir dispute speedily, Shahab never relied both nations & that was a lost opportunity.

Great information, thank you.

I have edited my OP to take out the "possibly" bit.

In Pakistan, the biggest power is not America or the Pakistani Politicians that the US owns. The Pakistani Public holds the power and I can assure you my friend, if China ever asked Pakistan to make a Defence pact wth China, the Pakistani Public will be in the streets to support that idea. The Pakistani public can bring any govt. in Pakistan to their knees in two hours if they come out in the streets and the politicians know that.

Please read the surveys made by American media that clearly shows that 90%+ Pakistani Public views China most favourably which BTW is the highest positive rating of China with any country in the World.

American influence is extremely poisonous and powerful, look at the Raymond Davis affair.

I am sure the Pakistani public would make the right choice, but the decisions are up to the Pakistani politicians who are possibly the worst people to represent Pakistan. In my opinion of course.

If the Chinese government were to bypass the Pakistani government and try to talk directly to the people, the Pakistani government would almost certainly assume we were trying to go over their head or even replace them.

 

[naveen mishra]

who is stopping china now ? just curious to know ?
what mistake has been done in past,can easily rectify

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

who is stopping china now ? just curious to know ?
what mistake has been done in past,can easily rectify

Surely it can.

The only way to find out for sure, is in the event of another Sino-Indian War.

Which would require India to repeat the Forward Policy, which was the trigger for the first war.

Since I am not a warmonger, I would prefer that it doesn't come to that.

But if it did come to that, I believe Pakistan would not waste a second opportunity.