What is Simla Agreement?

Pakistan has suspended the 1972 Simla Agreement after India’s reaction to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. This is a major escalation in India-Pakistan relations.

About the Simla Agreement (1972):

• It was signed on July 2, 1972, by the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistan President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

• It was signed in the aftermath of the 1971 India-Pakistan war (which Pakistan lost).

• It ended in the creation of Bangladesh by splitting from Pakistan after India’s intervention.

• It is not a legally binding obligations, but contain what is commonly referred to as “best endeavour clauses” which both countries agreed to.

• Under the agreement, India and Pakistan established the Line of Control (LoC), the border that divides India and Pakistan, changing the 1949 UN ceasefire line to a more bilateral term.

• They also committed to settling their differences through bilateral negotiations.

• It highlighted that Kashmir was now a purely bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.

• It was decided that the two countries are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them.

• India returned around 13,000 km² of land taken in battle on the western border but retained some strategic areas to create lasting peace.

• The agreement also resulted in Pakistan formally recognizing Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

(Source: IE)