ABSTRACT
The United States-Pakistan alignment during the Afghan crisis was an excellent example of an opportunistic partnership between two unequal powers. Pakistan's Afghan policy brought a fundamental change in the regional scenario. Pakistan's nuclear programme and doctrine have been based on fairly clear and straightforward means to forge a credible deterrent to counter India's threat. For Pakistan, the ten years war in Afghanistan has had some painful consequences. When Soviet troops marched into Kabul in 1979, refugees poured over the border. The province of Baluchistan equally bore the enormous pressure of Afghan refugees from the war in Afghanistan. The 'Kalashnikov culture' flourished when the US sent huge supplies of weapons through Pakistan to arm the Afghan mujahideen. Sectarianism is one of the biggest challenges and gravest threats to Pakistan's domestic security horizon. The increased sectarianism in Pakistan can easily be understood by the number of religious institutions established.
