Simla Agreement Is Dead, Says Pakistan; No, It's Not, Says Pakistan Again

Last Updated:June 06, 2025, 17:28 IST

Pakistan's foreign office has rejected its defence minister Khawaja Asif's claim that 'the Simla Agreement is now a dead document'

The Simla Agreement is a peace treaty signed on July 2, 1972, in Simla (now Shimla), India, by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. File image

A day after Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif termed the 1972 Simla Agreement “a dead document", the country’s foreign ministry moved swiftly to clarify that no official decision has been made to revoke any bilateral agreements with India, including the landmark pact.

Asif’s controversial remarks were made during a televised interview on Tuesday, when he asserted that India’s “unilateral actions", particularly the 2019 revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, had rendered the Simla framework obsolete.

“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 claimed, linking it to the first India-Pakistan war. He further suggested that the bilateral structure envisioned by the agreement had collapsed, necessitating future disputes to be addressed via multilateral or international mechanisms.

However, the very next day, a senior official from Pakistan’s foreign office contradicted Asif’s bold claim. While acknowledging that recent developments, including India’s precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, had indeed triggered internal discussions in Islamabad, the official stated unequivocally, “At present, there is no formal decision to terminate any bilateral accord."

The official indicated that all treaties, including the Simla Agreement, remain operational. This quick damage control by the foreign ministry signals an attempt to prevent further diplomatic complications and maintain a semblance of consistency in Pakistan’s foreign policy.

The Simla Agreement is a peace treaty signed on July 2, 1972, in Simla (now Shimla), India, by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It came in the immediate aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, which resulted in India’s decisive victory and the creation of Bangladesh.

Key provisions of the agreement include:

Bilateralism: Both countries committed to settling their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations, eschewing third-party mediation. This was a major Indian diplomatic objective.

Line of Control (LoC): It converted the 1971 ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir into the Line of Control, which both sides agreed to respect and not alter unilaterally.

Normalisation of Relations: It laid out steps for progressively restoring and normalising relations, including resuming communications, travel, trade, and cultural exchanges.

No Use of Force: Both governments committed to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of each other.

Asif’s comments, particularly referencing the 2019 Article 370 revocation and even questioning the Indus Waters Treaty, reflect Pakistan’s ongoing frustration with India’s decisive moves in Kashmir and the heightened tensions following recent cross-border incidents.

(With agency inputs)

News world Simla Agreement Is Dead, Says Pakistan; No, It's Not, Says Pakistan Again