Foreign relations of Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan emerged as an independent country through the partition of India in August 1947 and was admitted as a United Nations member state in September 1947. It is currently the second-most populous country within the Muslim world, and is also the only Muslim-majority country openly in possession of nuclear weapons. The country shares land borders with India, Iran, Afghanistan, and China.

The country has extensive trade relations with the European Union and with several countries globally. As of 2025^[update], Pakistan does not recognize Israel and its ties with India remain frozen since 2019.

From a geopolitical perspective, Pakistan's location is strategically important as it is situated at the crossroads of major maritime and land transit routes between the Middle East and South Asia, while also serving as a bridge between the Arabian Sea and the energy-rich regions of Central Asia. Since the partition of India, the Kashmir conflict has defined the India–Pakistan relationship: the two countries claim each other's zones of control in Kashmir, but are separated by a ceasefire boundary known as the Line of Control. Pakistan has close bilateral ties with China and the Muslim world, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Gulf Arab countries. As a part of the First World during the Cold War, Pakistan cooperated with the United States to combat the global influence of the Soviet Union, though this relationship later became strained over the course of the War on Terror. Pakistan is an active member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Pakistan's foreign policy seeks the 'promotion of Pakistan as a dynamic, progressive, moderate, and democratic Islamic country; developing friendly relations with all countries of the world, especially major powers and immediate neighbors; consolidating our commercial and economic cooperation with international community."

Pakistan's foreign policy is meant to formalize and define its interactions with foreign nations and standardize interactions with organizations, corporations and individual citizens. Backed by the semi-agricultural and semi-industrialized economy, Pakistan is the 44th largest (nominal GDP, 2025) and 26th largest (purchasing) economic power and 7th largest military in the world in terms of active personnel, with a defense budget of US$10.2 billion (2024), 2.7% of its GDP (2024). The Foreign Minister of Pakistan is the official charged with state-to-state diplomacy, although the Prime minister maintains an ultimate authority over foreign policy. The state foreign policy includes defining the national interest, as well as the economic interest and strategies chosen both to safeguard that and to achieve its policy goals. Following the general election held in May 2013, Tariq Fatimi and NSA Sartaj Aziz were designated as advisers to the Prime Minister on foreign and strategic policies. After the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif's government in July 2017, Khawaja Muhammad Asif held the portfolio of foreign minister under the premiership of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. After the victory of Imran Khan Niazi in the Pakistan General Elections 2018, Shah Mehmood Qureshi was named the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became foreign minister after the political crisis-a position previously held by his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Hina Rabbani Khar.

In 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the state of Pakistan, clearly described the principles and objectives of Pakistan's foreign policy in a broadcast message, which is featured prominently in a quotation on the homepage of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: "The foundation of our foreign policy is friendship with all nations across the globe."

On 15 August 1947, outlining the foreign policy of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam observed:

"Our objective should be peace within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and friendly relations with our immediate neighbours and with (the) world at large. We have no aggressive designs against any one. We stand by the United Nations Charter and will gladly make our contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world."