Simla Agreement 1972

The Simla Agreement signed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and then Pakistan’s president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on July 2, 1972 was much more than a peace treaty seeking to reverse the consequences of the 1971 war (i.e. to bring about withdrawal of troops and an exchange of PoWs).

It was a comprehensive blue print for good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan. Under the Simla Agreement both countries undertook to abjure conflict and confrontation which had marred relations in the past, and to work towards the establishment of durable peace, friendship and cooperation.

The Simla Agreement contains a set of guiding principles, mutually agreed to by India and Pakistan, which both sides would adhere to while managing relations with each other. These emphasise: Respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; respect for each other’s unity, political independence; sovereign equality; and abjuring hostile propaganda. The following principles of the Agreement are, however, particularly noteworthy:

A mutual commitment to the peaceful resolution of all issues through direct bilateral approaches -- To build the foundations of a cooperative relationship with special focus on people to people contacts; To uphold the inviolability of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, which is a most important CBM between India and Pakistan, and a key to durable peace; India has faithfully observed the Simla Agreement in the conduct of its relations with Pakistan.