German-Pakistani Relations

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951, Pakistan and Germany have maintained warm friendly relations. Pakistan became one of the first Asian countries to establish relations with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Bilateral relations are based on a commitment to democracy, pluralism, respect for human rights, cultural and religious diversity, and economic liberalism.

Cold War Relations

In the 1940s, Germany maintained relations with British India, and then established diplomatic relations with Pakistan after its independence ^[4] . In the 1950s, West and East Germany tended to create an alliance with India ^[5] .

Pakistan’s relations with West Germany were relatively strong and based on mutual cooperation, but relations with East Germany, on the contrary, worsened. In the 1950s, East Germany maintained strong relations with East Pakistan. In 1961, Pakistani President Mohammed Ayyub Khan made his first state visit to West Germany, where he met with German President Heinrich Lübke and Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer ^[6] . Germany has established partnerships with Pakistan to launch an industrial development program, and thus this country has become one of the first economic partners of Germany ^[6] .

In the 1960s, West Germany began to help Pakistan in industrialization. Germany called Pakistan an example of a successful development policy in a developing country. In 1971, Germany maintained a policy of neutrality during the Third Indo-Pakistani War , and East Germany became the third country in the world and the first country in Europe to officially recognize Bangladesh in 1972 after the end of the War of Independence . In the 1970s, Pakistan normalized relations with East Germany and the East Bloc ^[7] .

About 35,000 Pakistani immigrants live in Germany, about 1,200 Germans currently reside in Pakistan, mainly in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. Germany maintains diplomatic missions in the country, has an embassy in Islamabad, a consulate in Karachi and honorary consulates in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta. Germany is also one of the countries that play an influential role in current political events in Pakistan, along with Saudi Arabia , China , the USA and Great Britain .

Archeology

German archaeologists have been active in Pakistan for decades. For example, in 1979, the project “Rock paintings and inscriptions along the Karakorum highway ” was launched, which is supported by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities . German researchers regularly visit Gilgit-Baltistan as part of this project ^[8] .

For several years, the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has financed projects to preserve the cultural heritage of Pakistan . Major projects of recent years include the restoration of frescoes of the Lahore fortress and the historic Amburik mosque in Baltistan . In 2010 and 2011, the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated funds for the repair and restoration of traditional dwellings in the historic Old Town of Lahore in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation. Both projects received the UNESCO Prize for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region in 2010 and 2014, respectively. In 2017, a project was launched to restore part of the frescoes in the Lahore fortress, also in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation. This project is planned to continue in 2018 ^[8] .

Goethe Institute

The main institution contributing to the development of bilateral cultural ties is the Goethe Institute in Karachi, which is located in a building built in the Bauhaus architectural style and is a historical monument. In addition to German language courses, the Institute hosts numerous cultural events. In Lahore, there is Annemarie Schimmel House, owned by the Goethe Institute, which also offers language courses and a cultural program.

Broadcasting

Close training collaboration has been established between the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC). Deutsche Welle has a representative office in Islamabad.

In January 2011, Germany and Pakistan agreed to start a strategic dialogue between the countries on an annual basis in order to strengthen defense, the economy, education, energy, investment and infrastructure ^[9] . Four rounds of strategic dialogue took place, the last of which took place in November 2018 in Islamabad.

Pakistan was one of the first countries for Germany to cooperate with for the purpose of economic development. In 1961, the German-Pakistan Development Partnership started, when the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany was founded ^[10] . In 1963, the Government of Pakistan, under the leadership of Pakistani President Mohammed Ayyub Khan, allocated a loan of $ 25 million to West Germany (taking into account inflation this amount in 2018 would have amounted to more than $ 250 million) for a period of 20 years ^[11] . Germany is currently Pakistan's fourth largest trading partner. Since 1961, Germany has provided Pakistan with foreign direct investment worth about 3 billion euros . This makes Germany the fourth largest foreign donor of Pakistan ^[12] .

German multinational companies represented in Karachi:

• BASF (chemical industry)
• BMW (cars)
• Daimler (cars)
• DB Schenker (logistics)
• DHL (courier service)
• The Linde Group (chemical industry)
• Lufthansa Cargo (cargo airline)
• Merck KGaA (pharmaceuticals)
• Metro Cash and Carry (Wholesale)
• Siemens ( conglomerate )

Bilateral agreements signed between countries:

• Air Transport Agreement;
• Double taxation avoidance agreement;
• Agreement on the protection and promotion of investments;
• Framework agreement on technical and financial cooperation (as amended by annual agreements on financial and technical cooperation);
• Agreement on cooperation in the field of scientific research and technological development.

In the 1990s, countries decided to establish a Pakistan-German business forum , which was formed in 1997 thanks to the initiative of the German ambassador to Pakistan. The Pakistan-German business forum has become a central tool for promoting and expanding bilateral economic relations between countries ^[13] . Commercial trade between Islamabad and Berlin has also been a very important topic in recent years, as Germany is Pakistan's fourth largest trading partner ^[14] . In 2000, Germany became one of Pakistan’s most important allies in the Waziristan War against Pakistan’s Tehrik-e Taliban fighters. In recent years, trade and scientific contacts between Germany and Pakistan have expanded significantly. Germany is actively involved in the socio-economic development of Pakistan and is an active participant in the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum.

Germany is the sixth largest importer of Pakistani goods. Pakistan's main exports to Germany are textiles and leather products, and Germany's main exports to Pakistan are machinery and chemicals. In addition, about 30 German companies are represented in Pakistan, not only large firms, but also small and medium enterprises ^[12] .

In August 2014, German Ambassador to Pakistan Cyril Nunn informed Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dahr that on August 24, 2014, German businessmen opened the Pakistan Gateway in Berlin to facilitate business contacts between the two countries.

Sino-Pakistan Economic Corridor

In November 2018, Pakistan invited Germany to participate in the Sino-Pakistan economic corridor . Pakistan invited German companies to invest in the special economic zones of this project, which is an important milestone in the development of regional cooperation and Pakistan-China relations ^[15] .

Generalized System of Preferences

In 2014, Pakistan was included in the European Union's General System of Preferences. This gives Pakistan's export sector privileged access to the European Union market for the supply of various goods, in particular textiles. In the framework of the discussion in the European Union, Germany supported the adoption of Pakistan into the Generalized System of Preferences ^[16] .

Trade and Investment

Energy

Germany has supported the development of Pakistan's energy sector for decades. Germany has helped build several hydropower plants in the country by providing low interest rate loans. Other stations are either under construction or at the planning stage ^[16] .

German assistance to Pakistan in recent years has brought significant success in the development of hydropower. The German bank KfW financed the construction of the Tarbel dam , as well as the Gazi Barot hydropower project . Together with its European partners, KfW is currently participating in the construction of two more hydropower plants in Pakistan. Thanks to many years of strong cooperation, KfW is also involved in shaping the structure of the Pakistan energy supply system and has played an important role in the reorganization of Pakistan's state-owned energy company Water and Power Development Authority ^[19] .

Pakistan-Germany Renewable Energy Forum

In November 2014, the governments of Germany and Pakistan entered into an agreement to establish the Pakistan-Germany Renewable Energy Forum (PGREF). The opening of which took place in 2016 in Lahore. The forum should stimulate contacts between countries in the energy sector, for associations and for non-governmental organizations. In the longer term, the Forum should provide training for employees, as well as promote cooperation between partners from Germany and Pakistan ^[16] .

Germany is one of the most popular destinations for education among young Pakistanis. Germany and Pakistan have signed 32 cooperation agreements between universities in both countries. Every year, hundreds of Pakistanis go to Germany to study for a higher education or doctoral degree. In 2018, 4,100 Pakistani students and doctoral students lived in Germany.

Academic cooperation and the exchange of research dates back to the 1930s, when many scientists (who then remained in Pakistan after the partition of British India) worked with Germany. In 1960, after the start of German-Pakistani cooperation, the Institute of Physics was founded at the University of Kaid-i-Azam , in the development of which physicists from Germany participated. Germany also helped Pakistan take part in CERN projects and has repeatedly supported Pakistan's observer status in this organization. Germany also allowed hundreds of Pakistani physicists and mathematicians to conduct their experiments at the DESY Research Center.

in 1907, one of the ideologists of the creation of Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal, spent several months in Germany. In Heidelberg, Muhammad Iqbal studied German , philosophy and literature. Muhammad Iqbal’s poem “Darye Naika Ke Kinare Par” (Greetings to Neckar), as well as a memorial plaque on this German university campus, recall his stay there. “My stay in Heidelberg was like a wonderful dream,” said Muhammad Iqbal ^[12] .

Vocational training

Germany is helping Pakistan to fundamentally reform its vocational training system in cooperation with the Netherlands , Norway and the European Union. The German Society for International Cooperation advises the Pakistan National Vocational Training Commission on how vocational training should relate to demand on the labor market. With the cooperation of Germany in Pakistan, more than 100 vocational guidance and career guidance centers have been created. Unified standards and materials for exams have been developed for nearly 60 professions in the field of agriculture, energy and services; 87,000 young people completed the training program; 4,000 vocational training instructors have already been trained, and at least many are still about to receive training in the near future ^[20] .

German-Pakistani Training Initiative

In June 2013, 13 German multinational and Pakistani national companies officially launched the German-Pakistani Training Initiative (GPATI), a new skills development project aimed at providing young Pakistani men and women with professional knowledge ^[20] .

The Friedrich Ebert Foundation , the Friedrich Naumann Foundation , the Heinrich Böll Foundation , the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation have been sending their employees to Pakistan for decades, where they have their own offices there. They support projects in areas such as strengthening democratic institutions, human rights and the advancement of women, climate change, deradicalization, regional cooperation and the media.

In late summer 2014, the German government provided a total of more than € 6 million in aid to mitigate the effects of the disaster in Pakistan. In 2015 and 2016, Germany’s total federal budget allocation for humanitarian aid to Pakistan exceeded 11 million euros. Relief measures are implemented by German non-governmental organizations and international organizations such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program ^[8] .

During the 1970s, Pakistani politician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took large-scale initiatives to strengthen Pakistan's defense ties with Germany. Under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, an agreement on strategic and military training was signed between the military academies of these countries. German military officials and cadets make visits to Pakistani military academies as part of an exchange of experience, and Pakistani military personnel visit Germany for the same purpose. In the 1980s, German-Pakistani relations entered the military alliance stage as part of Operation Cyclone, which was directed against the presence of the armed forces of the Soviet Union in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan .

From June 19 to 22, 2016, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, General Rachel Sharif, visited Germany at the invitation of his colleague, the German army inspector, Lieutenant General Jörg Wollmer. Rachel Sharif was present at the laying of wreaths at the war memorial of the German Ministry of Defense, and then held talks with German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen .

Relations between countries deteriorated in 2012 when Pakistani police detained three alleged German intelligence agents near the Afghan border ^[21] . All three alleged agents were interrogated by Pakistani Federal Intelligence Agency officers and then deported from the country as non grata individuals after Germany protested ^[22] . In March 2013, German media reported that the country's special services had arrested an alleged Pakistani agent working to obtain confidential information about drones; no other details were provided ^[23] .