The Shimla Agreement (also called the Shimla Accord or Shimla Treaty), signed between the premiers of India and Pakistan was a treaty that laid out the principles which would govern the future bilateral relations between the two countries.
It was signed 8 months after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh had ended.
Indira Gandhi and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto signed the agreement on 2 July, 1972 in Barnes Court (Raj Bhavan) at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
The accord had contained the steps which were to be taken in order to ensure the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. The terms of the treaty were as follows:
- The Charter of the UN shall govern relations between India and Pakistan.
- Any differences shall be settled by peaceful means and through bilateral negotiations.
- Both countries shall respect the territorial integrity of each other and not interfere in the internal matters of each other.
- Forces shall be withdrawn to each other’s side of the international border.
- The ceasefire line of December 17th 1971 (after the Bangladesh War) shall be respected (and reiterated as the Line of Control).
- Renewing communications, telegraph, postal, airline relations, etc.
The treaty also talked about having exchanges in the field of culture and science. India released 93000 Pakistani prisoners of war (POWs) who were captured after the Bangladesh war.
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