North India Statesman
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Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) has issued an explanation on the statement that its Defense Minister Khwaja Asif is called the ‘Shimla Agreement’ as a ‘dead document “. The Foreign Office has made it clear that this historic agreement is still an important legal and political cornerstone for India-Pakistan relations.
The Foreign Office spokesperson strongly reiterated that the ‘Shimla Agreement’ emphasizes that all pending issues between the two countries, including the Kashmir dispute, should be resolved through bilateral interaction. According to the spokesperson, the conversation is the only viable way to move forward.
In fact, Defense Minister Khwaja Asif made this controversial remarks during a debate on the Kashmir issue in Parliament. He had said that there has been no relevance of ‘Shimla Agreement’ since India ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, and it has become a “dead document”. Asif also said that instead of bilateral talks, the mediation of global forces should now be called.
This explanation of Pakistan Foreign Office is a major diplomatic step. This restores Pakistan’s official status, reiterating its commitment to a peaceful solution through bilateral dialogue. This step may probably be an attempt to improve deteriorating relations with India and the international community to improve its diplomatic image, which shows that Pakistan is still interested in retaining the fundamental principles of the Shimla Agreement.
The Shimla Agreement, which concluded between India and Pakistan in 1972, emphasizes the need to negotiate and resolve the conflicts between the two countries through peaceful means. This latest cleaning of Pakistan Foreign Office throws light on the fact that the agreement for their country is still an active and relevant document, which plays an important role in setting the future outline of the relationship between the two neighbors.
