Canada–Pakistan relations
Bilateral relations / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Canada and Pakistan established diplomatic relations in 1947. Canada is primarily represented in Pakistan by a high commission in Islamabad while maintaining consulates in Lahore and Karachi, as well as a trade office in the latter city. Pakistan is represented in Canada by a high commission in Ottawa and consulates in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Both nations are credited on the international stage with significant contributions to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, owing to their shared history as colonies of the former British Empire. The relationship between the two countries has generally been cordial, with Canadian Governor-General Roméo LeBlanc making a state visit to Pakistan in 1998. However, relations saw a major negative impact that same year after Pakistan conducted nuclear weapons tests (codenamed Chagai-I) and became an officially declared nuclear weapons state in late May—becoming the 7th country in the world to acquire nuclear weapons technology immediately after India's tests (codenamed Pokhran-II) earlier that month. Canada, along with many other nations, immediately condemned the acquisition of nuclear weapons by both nations, and imposed full sanctions on both India and Pakistan.[1] Relations normalized in the following years and bilateral trade between the two nations stood at C$1.04 billion in 2017.[2] Canada has recognized Pakistan's significance as an important player and major non-NATO ally with regards to combating terrorism globally as well as domestically with the Afghanistan conflict and its spillover into Pakistan. Canada was also among the nations that deployed peacekeepers to the disputed region of Kashmir in 1949, shortly after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, and has since strongly advocated for a peaceful solution to the India–Pakistan conflict over Kashmir. Today, Canada is home to one of the largest Pakistani diasporas, with population figures for the Pakistani Canadian community speculated to be at least 215,000 while there are some 30,000–50,000 Canadians in Pakistan.[3]
Pakistan |
Canada |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
High Commission of Pakistan, Ottawa | High Commission of Canada, Islamabad |
Envoy | |
High Commissioner of Pakistan to Canada Zaheer Aslam Janjua | High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan Leslie Scanlon |