Abdul Sattar (diplomat)

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For disambiguation, see
Abdus Sattar
.

Abdul Sattar
Niaz A. Naik
Succeeded byHumayun Khan
Personal details
Born
Abdul Sattar

1931
Died (aged 88)
Pakistani

Abdul Sattar (1931 – 23 June 2019) (

foreign policy, and nuclear strategist.[1]

Prior to being appointed

Foreign minister of Pakistan in two non–consecutive terms, Sattar briefly served in the Foreign ministry, first serving as ambassador to the Soviet Union and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).[2][1]

He authored several books on Foreign policy, and won critical praise of his diplomatic skills and work. In a review of Sattar's book Pakistan's Foreign Policy, Amitabh Mattoo of India Today considered Sattar to be "one of the shrewdest foreign policy practitioners that Islamabad has ever produced".[3]

Biography

Foreign service career

Abdul Sattar started his career in

Foreign Secretary.[1] In 1988, he was appointed ambassador to the USSR, where he continued until 1990, when he was appointed Permanent Representative to the IAEA in Vienna.[4]

He held among the important posts in the

foreign office, including serving as the director of Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc from 1982 to 1986, and director general of Southeast Asia affairs from 1987 to 1988.[4]

Nuclear strategy and overview

Main article:
Nuclear peace

While working on different foreign service assignments with

deterrence programme.[1]

About the nuclear weapons quantity, Sattar notably quoted to

arsenals and deployment patterns have to be adjusted to ward off dangers of the preemptive and inception."[6]

In 1995, Sattar maintained that India and Pakistan's "attainment of

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), initially defusing the pressure on Pakistan in 1999.[1]

Foreign minister

Sattar arriving to meet US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, 2001.

On 6 November 1999, Abdul Sattar was named one of leading ministers in Musharraf's newly sworn in military government, and appointed

anti-Indian thinker. While serving in government he was a known advocate of peaceful negotiations.[3]

In 2001, Sattar coordinated an emergency meeting with US National Security Adviser,

utmost co-operation on War on terror, Sattar later described the co-operation policy as: "We agreed that we would unequivocally accept all US demands, but then we would express our private reservations to the US and we would not necessarily agree with all the details."[8]

Abdul Sattar assisted Musharraf after negotiating

Agra summit to be held in India in 2001.[3] He drafted the work on the Agra summit, but ultimately the talks failed and no conclusion on Agra summit was reached.[3]

Resignation

In June 2002, Sattar resigned from his ministerial post, citing health reasons. His resignation letter was immediately approved by President

media that the "last few months Sattar was not feeling comfortable in his office as the self-appointed President had virtually rendered the whole Foreign Office redundant."[4]
Practically the military government was not consulting the Foreign Office on any issue including the hectic diplomatic activity in the recent weeks over the standoff with India on Kashmir issue. An article in the media noted: "When the mood of the dictator formulates the foreign policy of the country, then what is the need to have a foreign minister?."[4]

On the other hand, the India Today wrote in 2007 that "Musharraf finally realised that Sattar was not the ideal candidate to further peace with India, and immediately replaced him in 2002, with Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri."[3]

Academia and professorship

Thesis on nuclear deterrence

Main article:
Pakistan and its Nuclear Deterrent Program
Abdul Sattar (left foreground) discussing with Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, 2001.

After retiring from nearly 40 years long

global non-proliferation regime.[9] Another notable research paper of his, "Shimla Pact: Negotiating Under Duress", was published in journals in Islamabad and New Delhi in 1995. He also contributed the section on foreign policy in the book Pakistan in Perspective 1947–1997 published by Oxford University Press on the fiftieth anniversary of Pakistan.[1]

Critical literature

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780199060238. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  2. ^ a b c d Staff (6 November 1999). "National Security Council, cabinet sworn in". Dawn News archives. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Mattoo, Amitabh (19 February 2007). "Book review: Pakistani diplomat Abdul Sattar shares insights into Indo-Pak relations". India Today (newspaper). Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Pakistan's foreign minister Abdul Sattar resigns". Muslim News, Inquiry. 9 June 2002. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  5. ^ a b Sattar, Abdul. "Pakistan and USA should seize opportunity". Pakistan Oberver (newspaper). Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  6. ISBN 8125024778
    . Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  7. ISBN 0804750858
    . Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b staff (25 June 2001). "Profile of Abdul Sattar". History Commons website. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "Reducing Nuclear Dangers in South Asia: A Pakistani perspective" (PDF). Abdul Sattar, US Institute of Peace. Retrieved 12 June 2019.

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Niaz A. Naik
Foreign Secretary of Pakistan

1986–1988 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Foreign Minister of Pakistan
(caretaker)
1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Foreign Minister of Pakistan

1999–2002 		Succeeded by
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