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Background
Pakistan came into being after a long struggle of All India Muslim League and Muslims of the sub-continent. After the partition, Pakistan emerged as a new Muslim country on the map of the world. In 1950 after the three years of independence of Pakistan, South Korea was attacked by North Korea by the help of USSR, on the hand United States of America decided to help South Korea. Actually the Korean War was the first direct military conflict of the cold war which took place in a satellite country called Korea. The origins of the Korean War lay in the fact that Korea was under control of japan since 1910.In august 1945 Japanese were defeated in World War 2.consequently, Soviet Union and United States decided to divide the country into two zones along the 38thParallel line, Russia having in the north and America in the south. It was called the unification of Korea like Germany and two independent political dominions were created in south and north respectively. Thus South Korea became Republic of Korea supported by United States while North Korea became Democratic People s’ Republic of Korea and supported by Russia. South Korea was attacked by North Korea with her allies, later on Chinese involvement in the war posed a serious challenge to the America and her ally South Korea, but at the end USA defeated the chines army. KoreanWar was ended in 1953 and USA came out as a victorious and was quite successful to continue the containment policy because Russia failed to spread its communist ideology in South Korea.
Implications for Pakistan.
It was a very Weird situation for Pakistan, because this event entailed opportunities as well as challenges for Pakistan. Pakistan joined the United Nations in 1947 and voted for the general assembly resolution authorizing the UN operation for the defense of South Korea. United Nations called upon members to contribute to the UN action. Pakistan decided against sending a military assistance, as dictated by her own interests. However, it led Pakistan to lay the foundations of a foreign policy resting primarily on short term policies. It subsequently altered Pakistan’s desperately West-oriented and West-dependent foreign policy, laid by Liaquat Ali Khan’s decision to accept the American invitation to pay an official visit to Washington and neglect an earlier invitation from the Soviet Union for a similar visit. Pakistan’s foreign policy still accounts for as why Liaquat Ali opted for Washington and ignored Moscow. Doctors toeing the establishment line have argued, excitedly, that it was a decision driven by logic and national interest. Pakistan needed an early injection of military assistance to narrow the gap with a much stronger India; the US was the only power capable at that stage, so close on the end of World War II, to provide that kind of material help to Pakistan. The Soviet Union was still licking its wounds of a war that had exacted a horrendous toll of 20 million of its people, and did not have the ability to come to Pakistan’s assistance.
Economic importance of the War for Pakistan
Korean War had deep impact on the economy of Pakistan because Pakistan refused to devalue the currency as compared to India. Between 1947-1952 Pakistan’s average GDP was just 3%, however, in 1952 War broke out and the overall demand of goods increased worldwide especially of wheat, cotton and jute and Pakistan benefited from it significantly with its GDP increasing at a screaming rate of 9.4%. However after the end of Korean War there was a worldwide slump.
From the early days of Pakistan s’ creation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder clearly spoke in his speeches that we want friendly and peaceful relations with the entire nations of the world. So Korean war had major influence on Pakistan,s foreign policy and she made alliance with USA but she did not receive the expected military as well as economic aid and the US response was doubtful and inadequate. Liaquat Ali khan took a brave decision by refusing the American call for participation in the war. However, the economy of the state got a boost, which,otherwise, would have taken a long time.