The American Pakistan Foundation U.S.-Pakistan Relations Timeline Project documents the relationship between the governments and people of the United States and Pakistan. For over 70 years, the United States and Pakistan have engaged in thousands of exchanges, from military and economic to cultural and educational, that have shaped our understanding of one another. By weaving the stories of people and culture into the history of diplomatic ties, this project shares the story of how the Pakistani American community came to be, and how its two parent nations have shaped its experiences along the way.
Founded by Charles Forman, Forman Christian College (FCC) began educating Muslims and Christians together in an interfaith model. It is an independent liberal arts university with an American-style curriculum. FCC is renowned for its notable alumni and staff, including Nobel laureate Arthur Compton, former Indian Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, former Pakistani Presidents Farooq Leghari and Pervez Musharraf, and activist Eqbal Ahmad.
Immigration from Pakistan to the United States began as early as the 19th century. Small numbers of Punjabi tradesmen skilled in irrigation came from what was then northwestern India for work in California, Oregon, and Washington. For most, the journey to the United States began in Canada. As then-citizens of the British empire, it was easiest to obtain initial passage to other British territories like Canada.
When Canadian authorities began to tighten Asian immigration, many South Asian farmers traveled south across the American border. In 1909, Canada officially closed its border to migration from Asian countries.
Anti-immigration groups like the Asiatic Exclusion League agitated for an end to South Asian migration. Their efforts attracted the attention of the federal government, which began steadily increasing the rejection rate of South Asian applicants. By 1917, an act of Congress ended immigration from “barred Asiatic zones”, effectively cutting off immigration from South Asia.
From 1920 to the mid-1930s, the small South Asian community in the United States faced frequent discrimination. South Asians were targeted by state laws that prevented them from becoming naturalized citizens and restricted their rights to own farmland.
The end of the second World War marked a turning point for the entire Asian-American community. The passage of the Luce-Cellar Act of 1946 allowed early immigrants and their descendants to become naturalized American citizens.
On August 14, 1947, the United States became one of the first countries to recognize Pakistan as an independent nation. President Harry S. Truman sent a congratulatory message to Mohammed Ali Jinnah. President Truman called Jinnah “the originator of the dream that became Pakistan.”
During the early years of Pakistan's statehood, immigration to America was nearly impossible. The U.S. immigration system operated on the “National Origins Formula,” a metric designed to restrict new arrivals from countries outside of western Europe.
Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the United States were established on August 15, 1947, when the U.S. Department of State opened the U.S. Embassy in Karachi. Charles W. Lewis, Jr., was the first head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Pakistan as interim Chargé d’Affaires.
The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan was jointly established by the U.S. and Pakistani governments. Its goal was promoting mutual understanding between Pakistanis and Americans through educational and cultural exchange.
