After India imposed a series of diplomatic restrictions on Pakistan following the horrendous Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, killing 26 innocents, including two international citizens, the Pakistan government retaliated by blocking its airspace for Indian airlines, closure of Wagah border, suspension of all trade ties with India and the most important – putting the 1972 Simla Agreement in abeyance.
But what is the 1972 Simla Agreement? Why is it important for both nations? Let us find out.
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1972 Simla Agreement
The Simla Agreement was signed between former Indian Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi, and the Pakistani President, late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on July 2, 1972, in Himachal Pradesh.
The agreement was signed after the historic 1971 Indo-Pak war, leading to the secession of East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh.
The agreement was marked to end the hostilities between India and Pakistan and restart bilateral ties based on peaceful coexistence.
The agreement stated, “a comprehensive blueprint for good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan, with both countries undertaking to abjure conflict and confrontation which had marred relations in the past, and to work towards the establishment of durable peace, friendship and cooperation.”
Key terms of Simla Agreement
The 1972 Simla Agreement was a pivotal moment which laid down the foundational principles for future India-Pakistan relations.
One of the major terms was that India and Pakistan agreed to solve their disputes, including Kashmir, through direct talks, without the interference or involvement of a third party.
After the 1971 war, a ceasefire was declared in Kashmir. This was renamed as the Line of Control (LoC). To bring stability to the war-torn region, both countries agreed not to change it by force.
The agreement also stated that both countries would not interfere in each other’s internal matters. It aimed to restore diplomatic, economic and cultural ties and respect borders and political independence.
Both countries agreed to withdraw troops to their side of the border.
Lastly, India agreed to release over 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war, marking one of the largest releases after a conflict.
How Simla Agreement shaped LoC
One of the major resolutions in the Simla Agreement was the recognition of the Line of Control (LoC).
LoC has been a major point of contention between India and Pakistan ever since partition. The first known LoC was traced back to the 1947 India-Pakistan war.
In 1949, a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations was declared. Following that, the 1949 Karachi Agreement was signed by both countries’ armies, setting the points that would later become the de facto boundary between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
Thus, the Line of Control was established starting from Manawar in Jammu near Akhnoor, running north to Keran in Kupwara district in Kashmir, then running east toward the glacier region, which now lies in present-day Ladakh.
However, Pakistan violated the Karachi Agreement in 1965, leading to a full-fledged war. It finally ended with the declaration of a ceasefire in September and the signing of another agreement, the Tashkent Agreement.
The Line of Control that exists now is based on the December 17, 1971 Simla Agreement.
Simla Agreement over the years
Although signed to bring peaceful coexistence and bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, the Simla Agreement failed to stop two major wars – the 1984 Siachen conflict and the 1999 Kargil war, along with numerous cross-border confrontations and terrorist attacks.
Even after explicitly mentioning no third-party interference or involvement while resolving the disputes between the two nations, including Kashmir, Pakistan has often pushed for international attention, which India has strongly opposed on forums such as the United Nations.
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