Simla Agreement

Simla Agreement
This agreement on Bilateral Relations between India and Pakistan was signed after the 1971 India-Pakistan War, in which Pakistan was defeated conclusively and which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. India refrained from attacking or finishing off Pakistan and signed this agreement with the hope that henceforth the countries in the region would be able to live in peace with each other. The then Pakistani Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, also promised the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi that his country would accept the Line of Control (LOC) in the state of J&K as the de facto border and would not try to de-stabilize it. This was not formally entered in the agreement because Bhutto said it would cause domestic problems for him at this juncture. Mrs. Gandhi magnanimously accepted his promise and did not formalize that part of the agreement. But Pakistan, as later events were to prove, never kept its part of the deal.  
Why was it signed?
The agreement laid down the principles that should govern their future relations. It also conceived steps to be taken for further normalization of mutual relations. Most importantly, it bound the two countries to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations. The agreement also paved the way for diplomatic recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan. As a gesture of goodwill India decided not to try 90,368 Pakistani prisoners of war for war crimes and released them.
The agreement has been the basis of all subsequent bilateral talks between India and Pakistan, though it has not prevented the relationship between the two countries from deteriorating to the point of armed conflict, most recently in the Kargil War. Both Governments agree that their respective Heads will meet again at a mutually convenient time in the future and that, in the meanwhile, the representatives of the two sides will meet to discuss further the modalities and arrangements for the...