Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that the Line of Control (LoC) would now be viewed as a ceasefire line as Pakistan pulled out of the 1972 Simla Agreement with India.
“The agreement was bilateral […] as no third party or the World Bank was involved,” Asif told Geo News, adding that its termination will convert the LoC into a ceasefire line, back to its original status.
The Simla Agreement was signed after the third war between the two countries in 1971 and lays down principles meant to govern bilateral relations, including respect for a ceasefire line in Kashmir.
His statement came after New Delhi’s announcement to unilaterally terminate the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) followed by unprovoked attacks inside Pakistan last month, which led to the military clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The last month’s military confrontation between the two countries was triggered by last month’s attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that left 26 tourists dead, with India blaming Pakistan for the attack without offering any evidence.
Pakistan’s armed forces had launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.
Pakistan downed its six fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
