New Delhi:
India has ramped up its response to the Pahalgam terror attacks, revoking all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, including medical visas, and suspending visa services for Pakistanis. Islamabad has tried to mirror New Delhi’s decisions and has taken several measures as the diplomatic standoff escalates.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a rare National Security Committee (NSC) meeting today and took several decisions, during which the committee said it “Shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to the Simla Agreement in abeyance.”
The Simla Agreement brought into existence the Line of Control, a boundary demarcating the positioning of the armies of both sides, which resulted from the December 17, 1971, cease-fire following the 14-day war and India’s decisive victory. The agreement has been violated in the past by Pakistan.
What Is The Simla Agreement?
On December 16, 1971, over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) following decisive battles fought on the eastern and western fronts over two weeks. The surrender in the east led to a ceasefire in the western sector too, resulting in the end of the war and Indian victory and the birth of Bangladesh. The next day, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced a unilateral ceasefire.
93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered in Dhaka. It was the largest military surrender since World War 2.
Live Updates: All Party Meet To Begin Shortly; India, Pakistan Standoff Escalates
The Simla Agreement was a peace treaty signed between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The treaty aimed to “put an end to the conflict and confrontation that have hitherto marred their relations and work for the promotion of a friendly and harmonious relationship and the establishment of durable peace in the sub-continent.”
The agreement was signed on July 2, 1972 and came into force on August 4.
After over 50 years, Pakistan has said it “shall exercise its right to hold the Simla Agreement”. However, there is a significant clause in the agreement related to the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan, which runs from Manawar in the south, north to Keran and to the glacier areas.
Subsections 1 and 2 of clause 4 of the Simla Agreement state:
In order to initiate the process of the establishment of durable peace, both the Governments agree that:
(1) Indian and Pakistani forces shall be withdrawn to their side of the international border.
(2) In Jammu and Kashmir, the line of control resulting from the cease-fire of December 17, 1971, shall be respected by both sides without prejudice to the recognised position of either side. Neither side shall seek to alter it unilaterally, irrespective of mutual differences and legal interpretations. Both sides further undertake to refrain from the threat or the use of force in violation of this Line.
(3) The withdrawals shall commence upon entry into force of this Agreement and shall be completed within a period of 30 days thereof.
Clause 5 of the agreement states: “This Agreement will be subject to ratification by both countries in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures, and will come into force with effect from the date on which the Instruments of Ratification are exchanged.”
The Line of Control was established from the cease-fire line that came into effect on December 17, 1971.
1949 Karachi Agreement
Following Independence and Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India, Pakistan-backed tribal raiders attacked the region, leading to a war that lasted for almost two years from October 1947 to 1949.
Pakistan’s announcement is significant because the Simla Agreement makes provision for the ceasefire line to be known as the Line of Control. Should Pakistan suspend the Simla Agreement, it will put a question on the validity of the Line of Control.
In 1949, the military representatives of India and Pakistan met together in Karachi for a UN-brokered ceasefire.
The India and Pakistan Delegations authorized the establishment of a ceasefire line.
“Under the provisions of Part I of the Resolution of 13 August 1948, and as a complement of the suspension of hostilities in the State of Jammu and Kashmir on 1 January 1949, a cease-fire line is established.”
“The cease-fire line runs from Manawar in the south, north to Keran and from Keran east to the glacier area.”
Siachen To Kargil – When Pakistan Violated Simla Agreement
The 1949 Karachi Agreement clearly stated the demarcation of the cease-fire line. The wording of the agreement is as follows: “From DALUNANG eastwards the cease-fire line will follow the general line Point 15495, ISHMAN, MANUS, GANGAM, GUNDERMAN, Point 13620, JUNKAR (Point 17628), MARMAK, NATSARA, SHANGRUTH (Point 17531), CHORBAT LA (Point 15700), CHALUNKA (on the SHYOK River), KHOR, thence north to the glaciers.”
East of Chalunka, NJ9842 was the last demarcated point on the cease-fire line, and the agreement states that it would run north to the glaciers. Pakistan tried to take control of the Siachen glacier, an Indian territory as demarcated by the Karachi agreement, and tried to alter the provisions of the Simla Agreement. India launched Operation Meghdoot in 1984, gaining full control of the glacier. Indian Air Force and the Indian Army jointly operate in the icy heights of Siachen, and the Operation is the longest-running military operation in the world.
Almost a decade later, Pakistan crossed the Line of Control and took control of heights over a 150 sq km area of land in Kargil, which overlooked National Highway-1. The decision to unilaterally alter the LoC led to a brutal conflict in which India successfully took control of the territory occupied by Pakistan.
In 2003, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control, four years after the Kargil Conflict. From 2003 to 2006, not a single bullet was fire,d but since 2006, Pakistan has violated the agreement several times.
