1972 Bhutto visit to Soviet Union

The 1972 Bhutto's visit to Soviet Union was an important step in normalising foreign relations between Soviet Union (USSR) and Pakistan. On March 1972, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto paid a visit Moscow and engaged in substantive discussions with Soviet leaders, including meeting with Chairman Alexei Kosygin and Secretary-General Leonid Brezhnev.

The visit was marked as a reconciliation between the states and restoration of industrial co-operation as well as a wider shift towards an independent foreign policy, in particular to reduce dependency on the United States.

Even before electing in 1971, Bhutto had talked of the need of the independent foreign policy and wider relations with the Soviet Union which were fractured in the events of direct war with India, followed by Indo-Soviet Treaty also in 1971.

Occurring from 2 March till 5 March 1972, the visit strengthened the trade between two states which was increased from 36.2 million rubles (Рубль) to 92.3 million rubles. The repercussions of Bhutto's visit were vast; including the ₨. 4.5 billion worth Steel Mills in Karachi; the thermal power plant in Guddu; and Pakistan's official departure from SEATO and CENTO. In 1974, Bhutto again visited Moscow as a part of the goodwill mission which were aimed to strengthened ties. The visit yielded mixed results: the Steel Mills was established and inaugurated in 1985, however, the closer ties with China as well as difficulties with India and Afghanistan followed by discovery of Soviet arms continued to had an influential impact on the relations between Pakistan and Soviet Union.

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