PAKISTAN’S ALLIANCE WITH CHINA: AN INSIGHT FROM BALANCE OF THREAT THEORY

Abstract

International Alliances has been fundamental in Pakistan’s international interaction. Yet, this significant event has persisted understudied. Pakistan’s need for external alliances is promoted by the increased security threat and difficulties in relationship mainly with India. The political survival and difficulty in maintaining political independence made it necessary for the Islamabad security elites to seek alliances with major powers that enable them to deal with India and to a lesser extent Afghanistan. Using Balance of Threat Theory for explaining international alliances as a theoretical basis, this research examines a very fundamental question why does Islamabad need an external alliance? And how Pakistan seeks alliance with China. The relationship between external threats and Pakistan’s alliance making behaviour is studied using mainly primary and secondary literature. The primary resources are secured through qualitative interview conducted between 2014 and 2016 with current and former Pakistani security elites as part of PhD project.