The links between Pakistan and India, since the partition, were marked by ups and downs. From bilateral cooperation to climbing conflicts, the two countries have experienced fluctuations in various fields, including diplomacy, culture, politics and trade, among others. Due to the controversial relationship between the two nations, bilateral agreements and agreements have also undergone a similar model.
Following the recent fatal attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam, a picturesque valley located in Jammu-et-Cachemire of illegally Indian origin, on April 22, the country’s central government in New Delhi used accusations targeting Pakistan for violence, without any evidence. In addition to various other reactionary stages, the Indian government has also suspended the Water Treaty in the Indus in several decades.
In the remuneration, Pakistan has also warned India to place all transactions and bilateral agreements pending, in particular the Shimla agreement. Islamabad has since announced the closure of the Wagah border and also suspend all trade with the eastern neighbor, among other measures.
In the light of recent events in the context of the links of India and Pakistan, Geo.TV takes a look at some of the main agreements signed between the two countries since 1947.
Nehru and Liaquat signed the agreement in 1950
In April 1950, the Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru forged an agreement at a meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi who exercised a consensus to protect the rights and interests of minorities in their respective countries. According to the agreement, the two governments were to be mutually responsible for guaranteeing the protection of minority communities. Guaranteed to receive equal employment opportunities without discrimination, freedom of movement and establish a commission for minorities to monitor the implementation of the pact was among its main provisions. This pact was struck following the score, a period which witnessed hundreds of thousands of lives sacrificed following deadly violence on both sides of the border.
Industry Water Treaty
Facilitated by the World Bank, the Industry Water Treaty was signed between the two nations on September 19, 1960, describing the rights and responsibilities of India and Pakistan concerning the use of the industrial system of the Indus in the two countries. The agreement saw its realization after six years of dialogue and was officially signed by the president of Pakistan, Ayub Khan, and the Indian Prime Minister Nehru.
According to the agreement, Pakistan has obtained control of the Western rivers of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, while India has retained its rights on those on the east, delighted, Beas and Sutlej side. The provisions linked to the development of aquatic infrastructure, such as channels, dams, dams and tube wells, were also part of the treaty, which also included the construction of Mangla and Tarbela dams. He also demanded the training of a Commission of the Permanent Industry with a representative commissioner of each country to guarantee cooperation as well as the resolution of potential disputes.
The treaty remained in force until the recent decision of India to suspend it after almost 65 years.
Shimla Agreement
During the Ayub Khan era, the Shimla agreement was signed between Pakistan and India with former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi marking the historic event as a signator. The Shimla agreement, also known as Shimla Agreement, prevented the two countries from taking all kinds of unilateral action against the other to ensure that all conflicts will be resolved through bilateral dialogues. Following the agreement, the existing ceasefire line was converted into a control line (LOC).
The agreement has also presented points concerning the question of cashmere, stressing that “the basic problems and the causes of conflicts which have stuck relations between the two countries in the last 25 years will be resolved by peaceful means”. He also expressed his commitment to engage in dialogue to ensure lasting peace and the normalization of links.
Religious visits
Pakistan and India, in 1974, agreed with a protocol to facilitate religious pilgrimage in the two countries, allowing their respective faithful to visit religious and sacred sites. According to the agreement, 15 sites in Pakistan and five in India were opened for pilgrims in 2018.
The sites include the Sindh Darbar Shadani in Hyat Pitafi, Katasraj Dham from Chakwal, the Gurudwara Panja Sahib and the Gurudwaras of Nankana Sahib. In India, eminent religious destinations include Nizamuddin Dargah, tomb of Amir Khusro and Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
Agreement to prohibit attacks on installations and nuclear installations
On December 13, 1988, neighboring countries signed an agreement that India and Pakistan exchanged, each year, information on nuclear installations and everyone’s installations on January 1. Officially, in accordance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pact entered into force on January 22, 1991.
Prevention of airspace violations
This agreement was signed in New Delhi by the two nations on April 6, 1991 and aimed to minimize the risk of airspace violations, whether involuntary or accidental. With the help of specific guidelines for military aircraft, he mentioned the maintenance of a distance of 10 kilometers from the air territories in the other, including that of the air defense identification area.
He also assured that no plane enters airspace above their respective territorial waters without authorization.
Declaration of Lahore
Lahore’s declaration was agreed in February 1999 when former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee went to Pakistan and formalized the agreement with his counterpart Nawaz Sharif. The agreement was to say that an atmosphere of security and peace is created in the mutual interest of the two countries. And also recognized the resolution of pending problems, including the question of cashmere. The two nations have undertaken to intensify efforts to resolve all questions thanks to complete and targeted negotiations.
The process, however, was faced with an obstacle during the Kargil war later that year, but resumed in 2004 during the ear of former general military leader Pervez Musharraf.
Agreement on the previous notification of ballistic missile flight tests
The two countries, in 2005, signed an agreement connecting each other to give at least three days of notice before going ahead with a test in flight of ballistic missiles surface surface on land or at sea. It also specified that the location of the launch of these missiles should not be closer to 40 km from the control line or international borders. Although it also mentions that the impact zone referred to in the missile should not be closer to 75 km from these borders for both sides performing the tests.
Reduce the risk of nuclear weapons accidents
An agreement to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons accidents entered into force on February 21, 2007, but it only lasted only five years. As part of this agreement, Pakistan and India have promised to improve the safety and safety of their nuclear assets, by worrying each other in the event of a nuclear accident, while taking measures to reduce the radiological effects of these incidents. The agreement was then extended for an additional five years in 2012 and 2017.
Local ceasefire
The two rival nations, in November 2003, signed an agreement to guarantee a cease-fire along the work border and the loc. While the first divides the two countries, the second serves as a de facto border separating the cashmere occupied by India from Pakistan.
However, frequent violations were recorded from 2008 after several years of ceasefire. After the rule of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, the number of violations increased in particular. The two countries in 2021 reiterated their determination to the agreement to continue the ceasefire.