Pakistan

This file relates to Pakistan’s interest in the Gulf following the planned British withdrawal. It contains correspondence concerning:

• Discussions between the British High Commissions in Karachi and Rawalpindi, the Foreign Office, and Political Resident in the Persian Gulf R S Crawford's views on keeping HMG’s presence in Pakistan better informed of developments in the Gulf
• Discussions over the supply of 100 Vickers Limited tanks to Pakistan and the planned construction of a tank factory to jointly serve Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia
• Withdrawal of the Civil Service Clerical Association from Bahrain due to the planned British withdrawal, and the impact of this on Pakistan and its citizens there
• Meeting between Minister of State Goronwy Roberts MP and the Turkish Ambassador, over Turkey’s wish for the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) to be consulted over British withdrawal from the Gulf
• Various talks between Pakistani officials including its High Commissioner, Foreign Minister and Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with British officials and the Minister of State Roberts, on topics including CENTO, the Gulf, the cooperation over the tank factory and South Yemen
• High Commission in Rawalpindi’s report on Pakistan’s relations with the Arab world, and how its Middle East policy is influenced by its confrontation with India
• Extract from the Pakistani Foreign Minister’s speech to the National Assembly on 28 June 1968
• Visits of the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan to Iran and London in July 1968. It includes briefs and talking points for the visit, and records of conversations between the President, ministers and the Prime Minister Harold Wilson
• Report from the British Embassy in Aden on the first six months of independence for the South Yemen [People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen]; and the failure of aid negotiations between it and HMG on 10 May 1968
• The need to explain HMG’s foreign policy in the Gulf to the Iranians at the request of British Embassy in Tehran; and preparation for Roberts’ interview on Iranian television