No Exit from Pakistan: America’s Tortured Relationship with Islamabad

1921

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) was established.

1924

General Zia-ul-Haq was born.

1944

Sartre's "No Exit" premiered in Paris.

Mid 1940s

The United States supported its allies against the Soviet Union without deploying its own military forces.

1945

Richard Armitage was born.

1947 - Jinnah's Speech

Muhammad Ali Jinnah emphasized the rights of all citizens regardless of religion in his speech to Pakistan's Constituent Assembly.

1947 - Pakistan's Independence

Pakistan separated from India.

1947-2003 - Wage Growth

Average wages in Pakistan increased fivefold.

1947-2002 - Self-Sufficiency in Food

Pakistan produced enough wheat, rice, sugar, and milk for its population.

Early Cold War Era

Pakistan joined the US global effort to contain the Soviet Union.

1950

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was born.

Early 1950

As a young officer in Pakistan, General Mirza Aslam Beg joined the newly formed Pakistan Special Services Group and trained in guerrilla warfare with American forces.

1952

A.Q. Khan moved to Pakistan.

1954

A.Q. Khan began stealing designs and equipment for Pakistan's nascent nuclear program.

1954

Secretary of State Dulles highlighted the need for collective security in his Foreign Affairs article.

May 1954

The United States and Pakistan officially signed a mutual assistance agreement.

January 1955

John Foster Dulles was named "Man of the Year" by Time.

March 25, 1955

The United States announced a new South Asia strategy.

1956 to December 1959

The Eisenhower administration agreed to equip five and a half divisions of the Pakistani army with over $500 million.

1957

Ms. Hashmi was born in Pakistan.

1957

The Acumen Fund was established.

1958

General Ayub Khan became Pakistan's first military dictator.

1960

The Karakoram railway was inaugurated.

1960 and 1970

The Tarbela Dam project was constructed with substantial US financial aid.

January 6, 1961

Nikita Khrushchev delivered a secret speech on "small wars of liberation."

January 1961

Kennedy asked the Pentagon to "reassess its entire defense strategy."

Spring 1961

Kennedy requested $500 million in economic aid for India.

October 1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred.

Autumn 1962

The Sino-Indian border war began.

1964

The Johnson administration seriously considered collaborating with Moscow to counter China.

1965

The Indo-Pakistani War began.

1966

Ayub Khan severed ties with Bhutto.

1966

A B-52 bomber crashed off the coast of Spain with four hydrogen bombs.

1969

Ayub Khan was ousted by a protest movement that called him an 'American puppet'.

1970

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was founded from scratch by Bhutto.

July 1971

Kissinger's secret mission to China was facilitated by Pakistan's assistance.

1971

The war between East and West Pakistan led to Bangladesh's independence.

1972

A.Q. Khan worked at a facility dedicated to uranium enrichment.

1974

A.Q. Khan fled from the Netherlands to Pakistan, and Bhutto put him in charge of Pakistan's nuclear program.

1974 (May)

India conducted its first "peaceful nuclear explosion."

1975

Richard Armitage led a convoy of ships that transported over 20,000 South Vietnamese to the Philippines.

1977

Zia-ul-Haq removed Bhutto from power.

1979 - US Embassy Attack

The US Embassy in Islamabad was attacked and set on fire by radical protesters.

1979 - Bhutto Executed

Bhutto was executed.

1979 - Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution took place.

1979 - A.Q. Khan's Criticism

A.Q. Khan criticized US hypocrisy on nuclear programs in a letter to a German magazine editor.

1980 - Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

1985 - Beg's Military Command

Beg served as the commander of the XI Corps in Peshawar.

1985 - Pressler Amendment Passed

The US Congress passed a law requiring the President to certify annually that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear device.

1986 - Formation of Ahl-e-Hadith Organization

Saeed and sixteen others founded an organization to promote the Ahl-e-Hadith ideology and jihad.

1986 - Infant Mortality Rate Decline

The infant mortality rate in northern areas and Chitral communities with active Rural Support Programs (RSP) decreased from 162 per 1000 to 33 per 1000.

1987

Beg was promoted to Deputy Chief of Army Staff.

1987 to 1989

Hamid Gul was the head of ISI.

1988

Zia-ul-Haq died in a suspicious air crash.

1988

Beg immediately took on the most powerful job in the country.

1989

The Berlin Wall fell.

1990 - Formation of Lashkar-e-Taiba

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was officially established.

1990 - US Sanctions on Pakistan

The United States imposed sanctions on Pakistan for developing a nuclear bomb.

1990 - India's Economic Growth

India experienced an average annual real economic growth of 6.6%.

1990 - India-Pakistan Talks

India and Pakistan engaged in 'composite dialogue' between foreign ministries and a secret channel between Tariq Aziz and Indian envoys.

1990s - India's Economic Reforms

India removed some internal barriers to economic success.

Early 1990s

The United States refused to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.

1991 to 2001

Per capita real income in RSP communities grew by an average of 84%.

1992

Imran Khan became the captain of Pakistan's national team in the Cricket World Cup.

1994

India finalized a civilian nuclear project with the United States.

1995

Powell published his memoirs.

1996 - Foundation of Kashf

Roshaneh Zafar founded Kashf, Pakistan's first microfinance bank.

1998 - Nuclear Tests by Pakistan and India

Pakistan and India conducted their nuclear weapons tests.

1998

The Pakistani Navy and PRAM participated in joint exercises.

1998 to 2001

John Schmidt served as the U.S. political advisor in Islamabad.

1999

Pervez Musharraf overthrew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a military coup.

1999

The Kargil War between India and Pakistan began.

1999

The U.S. missile strike on Bin Laden's training camp in Afghanistan failed.

Around the Year 2000

China began establishing databases in Pakistan.

April 2001 Incident

A US EP-3 reconnaissance plane violated Chinese airspace and crashed.

Summer 2001 Talks

US forces negotiated with the Taliban in Kandahar.

September 11, 2001

Terrorist attacks occurred in the United States.

2001 - Post-9/11 Alliance

Pakistan became a "frontline ally" of the US in the "Global War on Terrorism."

Post-September 11, 2001

ISI expanded its counter-terrorism cooperation with the CIA and FBI.

Post-September 11, 2001

The US resumed military and civilian aid programs to Pakistan.

September 2001 (Early)

The US asked Mahmood to choose between the US and the terrorists.

December 2001

Pakistan closed the Afghan border and allowed US forces to enter its territory.

December 2001

A terrorist attack occurred at the Indian Parliament building in New Delhi.

December 2001

The US failed to close the Afghan border and trap Al-Qaeda in Tora Bora.

End of December 2001

The US forgave $1.6 billion of Pakistan's debt.

2002

Lashkar-e-Taiba was officially banned by Islamabad.

2002

A terrorist attack occurred in India in the Kashmir region (Twin Peaks Crisis).

Early 2002

A.Q. Khan made a forced confession and received official pardon.

2002 - Pakistan's Major Military Operation

The Pakistan Army launched its first major military operation in the tribal areas of FATA.

2002 - US Homeland Security Spending

The US spent nearly $700 billion on homeland security and anti-terrorism programs.

2003 - Vajpayee's Offer of Friendship

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister of India, extended a 'hand of friendship' to Pakistan.

2003 - Musharraf's Conditional Acceptance

Pervez Musharraf 'in principle' accepted the US request for peacekeepers' participation in Iraq's stabilization force.

2003 - Bush's Aid Proposal to Pakistan

Bush proposed $3 billion in aid to Pakistan over five years.

2004

The first armed drones flew over Pakistan's tribal areas.

2004

The Pakistan Army signed its first major peace agreement (Shakai Agreement).

Early 2004

Pervez Musharraf survived an assassination attempt.

February 2004

Benazir Bhutto spoke in Washington, urging the US to abandon support for Pervez Musharraf's dictatorship.

February 2004

Pervez Musharraf pardoned A.Q. Khan.

March 2004

Pervez Musharraf sent the army to Pakistan's tribal areas.

December 2004

Pervez Musharraf announced in a televised speech that he would retain both the presidency and the army chief position.

2005

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

March 2005

The Bush administration announced the resumption of F-16 aircraft sales to Pakistan.

June 2005

Condoleezza Rice delivered a speech at the American University in Cairo, emphasizing the Bush administration's "freedom agenda."

2005 to 2007

Ronald Neumann served as the U.S. ambassador in Kabul.

2006

Pakistan signed another peace agreement in FATA, fueling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

2006 (February)

Neumann requested additional resources from Rice.

2006 (October)

A drone killed 80 people at a religious school in Bajaur.

2006 (November)

The first suicide bombing occurred in Peshawar.

2007

Indus Hospital opened in Karachi.

2007

A US Air Force B-52 lost two nuclear warheads.

May 2007

Salman Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad.

July 2007

Red Mosque uprising in Islamabad.

July 2007

US National Intelligence Estimate warned of Al-Qaeda's safe haven in FATA.

September 2007

Benazir Bhutto met with American officials in Washington D.C.

November 2007

Pakistan's cable networks were shut down.

November 2007

Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan.

November 2007

Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan.

2007 to 2008

Pakistan's 'military economy' grew.

2008 (January)

Pervez Musharraf resigned as army chief and held elections.

2008 (March)

Richard Holbrooke reported from Pakistan that hopes for political change were high.

2008 (July)

Prime Minister Gilani spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations.

2008 (July)

The US changed its policy on cross-border attacks into Pakistan.

Summer 2008

Haqqani network terrorists, supported by Pakistan, rammed a suicide bomb into the Indian embassy in Kabul.

September 2008

A truck bomb turned the Islamabad Marriott Hotel into a burning crater.

September 2008

U.S. Special Forces attacked the Angoor Ada compound in South Waziristan.

September 2008

The U.S. Senate voted 86-13 for a historic agreement to open civilian nuclear trade with India.

November 2008

Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

2008 to 2009

The United States conducted its first strategic review of 'Af-Pak'.

2009

The United States had 7,000 drones.

2009 (Spring)

The Pakistani Taliban expanded its control over areas near Islamabad.

2009 (June)

John Kerry publicly criticized the House version of the Pakistan aid bill (KLB).

2009 (Summer)

A Hellfire missile from a drone killed Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.

October 2009

The US Congress passed the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (KLB).

November 2009

The statement identifying Matthew Rosenberg and Daniel Brühl as CIA spies was released.

December 2009

Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

2010

Pakistan experienced 400 terrorist attacks, killing 866 civilians.

2010

Pakistan treated over 100,000 patients in the Indus Hospital emergency department.

2010 - Pakistani Forces Expel Taliban

Pakistani forces expelled the Pakistani Taliban from the Khar area in Bajaur.

2010 - Attack on US Consulate

The US consulate in Peshawar was attacked.

2010 - Robert Gates on India's Patience

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated that India's patience against terrorist attacks is limited.

2010 - Shahzad's Court Confession

Shahzad confessed in court.

2010 - ISI Political Wing Closure

An ISI officer in Islamabad stated that the ISI's 'political wing' has been closed.

May 2010

Meeting with Imran Khan.

October 2010

Obama traveled to India.

October 2010

A Sentinel drone flew over Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

October 2010

Pakistan granted "Most Favored Nation" status to India.

Late 2010

General Kayani sent a 14-page memo to Obama questioning U.S. goals in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

2010 - Richard Holbrooke's Death

Richard Holbrooke passed away.

2010 - Pakistan Signs Civilian Support Agreement

Pakistan signed an agreement supporting a $831 million civilian program.

2011 - China's Military Budget Report

China released an annual report to the US Congress stating its military budget exceeded $160 billion.

2011 - ISI Losses Against Pakistani Taliban

ISI lost seventy officers in the fight against the Pakistani Taliban.

2011 - A.Q. Khan's Article on Pakistan

A.Q. Khan wrote in an article that Pakistan "remains a slave of America."

2011

India supported Libya and Syria at the United Nations.

January 2011

Naveed Butt wrote an 'Open Letter to the Armed Forces of Pakistan'.

January 2011

Raymond Davis killed two Pakistanis in Lahore.