· Priority to regional relationships
· Special attention to Muslim world

· With India:
– A relationship based on dignity, reciprocity and equality
– Seek to end arms race
– Attack common problems of poverty, hunger and illiteracy
– Resolve controversial issues in a just and mutually acceptable manner
· With the US:
– Build ‘bridges of understanding’
– Span the chasm of fear, suspicion and misunderstanding
– Move forward in a way that strengthens both countries
· Balanced relationship with the G8.

We do not seek an adversarial relationship with India. As neighbours, with a common cultural and ethnic heritage, there is much that unites us. We seek to open doors that have remained tightly closed for more than half a century. We want to move beyond confrontation to cooperation. We seek to end the de facto arms race that obliges us both to spend a large part of our output on defence. We believe that such spending is unconscionable, especially when there remain, in both countries, large populations of the hungry, the poor, the illiterate and the homeless. We seek a friendship based on dignity, reciprocity and equality, not on hegemony.
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On the issue of Kashmir we remain committed to the UN mandated resolution of the dispute by a plebiscite amongst the Kashmiri people. This has been Pakistan’s position and will remain so.

If Pakistan is in debt to any single country for its unconditional and unremitting support of the Pakistani people and nation then it is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has always stood, like a rock, with us through thick and thin. Mustaqbil acknowledges this support with heartfelt gratitude and we promise to further nurture and strengthen the ties of the heart that bind the people of Pakistan with the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia.

Iran is a friend, a neighbour and a regional power. We are bound to them by strong, historical, cultural, and religious links. We will work to develop a much closer relationship with them than has existed in the past. We reject the international ostracism that Iran has been subjected to on account of its completely legitimate nuclear program.

Turkey has always been a stalwart supporter of Pakistan and Pakistanis. And the Turkish people have always expressed an unreserved love for Pakistanis. The Turkish economy has made impressive progress over the past few years. There is much that we in Pakistan can learn from the Turkish experience. A Mustaqbil government in Pakistan will work hard to bring the two countries closer together. We will seek enhanced cooperation across the entire spectrum of economic, political and social affairs.

Afghanistan is also a close neighbour and friend. We are bound to them by the same ties that bind us to Iran. We seek to see a strong, stable, independent and democratic Afghanistan free of all foreign influence.

China is a rising world power. It has always remained a staunch friend and supporter of Pakistan. It has supported us – and continues to do so – with strong economic and technical assistance. It has stood by us in difficult times and has always been on our side in all international forays.

China has given much – since the creation Pakistan – to our nation and people. Mustaqbil thinks it is time that Pakistan now gives something back. We will explore with our Chinese friends possible areas of cooperation that would be of mutual benefit.

Russia has emerged, like the Phoenix, from the ashes of the Soviet era, to occupy a position of prominence on the world stage. Pakistan’s relationship with the former Soviet Union was characterised by a certain ebb and flow. There was agreement. And there were differences. Mustaqbil believes that a strong, cordial, mutually beneficial relationship with the ‘new’ Russia is possible, desirable, and inevitable. We will not let the past sit in judgement of the future. We look forward to building up this relationship.

There is much that unites the Pakistani and American people. Both love freedom and hold sacred the principle of individual liberty. Both believe strongly in private enterprise. Both are entrepreneurial, creative and hard working. They are natural allies. And indeed many of us, who now have the privilege to found Mustaqbil, have spent the formative years of our lives in the U.S. as students and young professionals. Some of our best friends are Americans. And so we know that Americans are amongst the brightest, most selfless and generous people on the planet. Hence we are especially saddened that an unpopular and misguided leadership has, in recent times, rent their image, not only in Pakistan but in the whole world.

As Mustaqbil we look forward to rebuilding a relationship that now stands on the verge of collapse. We will do this by building bridges of understanding which span the chasm of reciprocal fear and suspicion, a chasm opened by a few, with narrow minds and narrower vision.

Pakistan has always appreciated the calm, reasoned and measured influence of the E.U. in world affairs. With authority that derives from its status as the cradle of democracy, the EU has sought to spread democratic values with wisdom and dignity.

Within the EU, Pakistan has, of course, a special and historic relationship with the United Kingdom. There was much that was wrong about colonialism. But, undeniably, there is also much that we in the Subcontinent learned from the British. Mustaqbil recognizes that there is a debt, if only symbolic, that is still owed to the British. They educated our early leaders and provided the ideological framework on which were built all our institutions of state. And not least they built infrastructure where none existed. And, to their credit, many of these structures – such as the magnificent barrages on the Indus and its tributaries – still stand as lasting testimony to their ingenuity, workmanship and vision. These are people Mustaqbil wants as our friends
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