A day after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared the 1972 Simla Agreement 'a dead document,' the country’s Foreign Ministry issued a clarification, stating that no formal decision has been made to revoke any bilateral agreements with India, including the historic pact that has long guided Indo-Pak relations.
Responding to the minister’s remarks, a senior official from the Foreign Office acknowledged that recent developments had triggered internal deliberations within Islamabad on the status of bilateral agreements. However, the official confirmed that no formal move has been made to terminate any existing accords with New Delhi. “At present, there is no formal decision to terminate any bilateral accord,” quoted the official as saying, further indicating that all treaties, including the Simla Agreement, remain operational.
The clarification came amid renewed tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Indian airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7. In the wake of these incidents, Pakistan had initially threatened to review the Simla Agreement, but had not taken any concrete steps—until Asif’s controversial comments on national television reignited speculation.
During a interview, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that India’s 'unilateral actions', particularly the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 that revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status, had effectively made the Simla framework redundant.
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“The Simla Agreement is now a dead document. We are back to the 1948 position, when the United Nations declared the Line of Control a ceasefire line,” Asif stated. He went on to suggest that the Indus Waters Treaty was also at risk, asserting, “Whether the Indus Waters Treaty is suspended or not, Simla is already over.” According to Asif, the bilateral structure between India and Pakistan had collapsed, and future disputes would now need to be handled through multilateral or international forums rather than direct dialogue.
However, the Foreign Ministry’s response sought to distance the Pakistani government from the Defence Minister’s remarks. By reaffirming the continued validity of all existing treaties, the ministry signaled that Pakistan had not officially shifted its diplomatic position on the Simla Agreement or other foundational accords with India.
Signed in 1972 following the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the Simla Agreement is a landmark accord that laid down the principles for peaceful bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, with an emphasis on resolving disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
Tensions between the two countries further escalated in early May, as Pakistan attempted retaliatory shelling on Indian military positions from May 8 to May 10, following India's airstrikes. These actions were met with a firm military response from India. Eventually, a ceasefire understanding was reached after direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) of both nations on May 10, temporarily stabilizing the volatile situation.
The episode underscores the fragile nature of Indo-Pak relations and the continued significance of longstanding agreements like the Simla Accord in preventing full-scale conflict, even as political rhetoric threatens to erode their foundations.
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