CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COUNTER TERRORISM AND FOREIGN POLICY OF PAKISTAN DURING PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF’S ERA (1999-2008)

The incident 9/11 represented a critical threshold in Pakistan’s foreign policy. In order to avoid the “wrong side” of a “wounded” super power made Pakistan a vital ally in the US-led anti-terrorism coalition. Pakistan once again acquired the status of a front-line state. The president of Pakistan, General Pervaiz Musharraf’s declaration of allying with the West in the “war on terror” has changed the direction of Pakistan’s foreign policy from breeding the government of Taliban in Afghanistan by declaring them terrorists. He decided to conduct military operation in the area of FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), the first ever operation by military on its own land and claimed great successes in the pursuit of terrorist by killing about 400 extremists who belonged to the terror group Al-Qaida. The relations with India have become more tense and has enhanced its strategic relations with China despite the serious reservations of USA and other western countries. Pakistan’s image has been distorted in the comity of Nations for playing double game in the “War on Terror” which was a failure of Musharraf’s regime to assure the world of Pakistan’s anti-terrorists stance. While trying to analyze the foreign and counter terrorism policy during the era of Musharraf since 1999 till 2008, we have tried to find out the impacts of such policies on the socio-economic and political domain of the state of Pakistan.