Abstract
A country foreign policy is not only the first line of its national defence, but it also guarantees a nation rightful place in the international community. It is always the product of interaction of many forces like historical, ideological, economic, national interests and geo-political situation that determine the country's outlook in the world affairs. Pakistan foreign policy is no exception to such stated points. The most important issues in Pakistan's foreign policy are security, political independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and social and economic development etc. Keeping in mind these issues along with its geo-strategic position, Pakistan has formulated its foreign policy over the years, and has passed through stages during its development. In the initial years of its independence, Pakistan followed an independent policy with the objectives of friendship with all countries. Then it played an important role in the cold war politics, and also remained a strategic partner in the Afghan resistance movement. It remained the most sanctioned country in the nineteen ninety and then played a front line role in the global counter terrorism strategy. This papers deals with various phases/periods of Pakistan foreign policy since its independence.
