Pakistan has suspended the pivotal 1972 Simla Agreement, along with other bilateral agreements, with India in retaliation to India’s stern measures against Pakistan following the slaying of 26 tourists by terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Additionally, Pakistan has halted all cross-border movement from India via Wagah and shut its airspace to India. These decisions were taken following Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif chairing an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) in the aftermath of Pahalgam.
The Simla Agreement, inked on July 2, 1972 by India’s then PM Indira Gandhi and Pak President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, remains a crucial cornerstone of Indo-Pak ties. What makes it so important?
Decoding the Simla Agreement
The Simla Agreement is a bilateral treaty that governs multiple facets of the relationships between the two-nuclear powered neighbours. It came about following the 1971 Indo-Pak.
India sided with what was East Pakistan during its liberation struggle leading to the secession of East Pakistan and the creation of an independent Bangladesh. India ended up with vast stretches of Pakistani territories and prisoners of war (PoW). Having suffered utter humiliation, Pakistan was looking for a way to salvage some pride from the fallout.
Following contentious negotiations, backchannel talks and more, smart diplomacy shown by both PM Gandhi and President Bhutto paved the way for the Simla Agreement.
Beyond the resumption of communications, diplomatic and economic ties, and more, the two main outcomes of the agreement, however, lies in the formalisation of the LoC and consensus on bilateralism. Though the issue of Kashmir remained unresolved, the agreement thus marked a formal end to hostilities between the two nations and set out a roadmap for future engagement based on peaceful coexistence.
Despite the numerous conflicts and skirmishes, including Siachen Glacier in 1984, the Kargil War in 1999, along with more recent incidents at Uri and Pulwama, the LoC has endured.
Even today, the 1972 Simla Agreement underpins the military and political realities in J&K and indeed the rest of India and Pakistan but constant flare ups on both side begs the question - how long will it last?
