Pakistan Declares Simla Agreement ‘Dead’: What This Means for Kashmir and South Asia
Pakistan just broke one of its most important diplomatic deals with India. This is a big change in the world’s politics. It was Defense Minister Khawaja Asif who made the big news when he said that the 1972 Simla Agreement is now “over.”
Now, why does this matter? For decades, the Simla agreement served as the foundation for how India and Pakistan were supposed to resolve their never-ending disputes, especially over Kashmir. If one side is now saying, “We’re done with this,” it opens the door to all kinds of international drama. There are new tensions, the possibility of involvement from around the world, and real concerns about the peace in the region.
What did the Simla Agreement have to do with anything?
Let’s go back to the early 1970s. It was 1972. Another war had just broken out between India and Pakistan. This time, it was over what would become Bangladesh. After everything was over, the two countries agreed that they needed to write something down to keep this from happening again.
The Simla Agreement comes next.
The deal, which was signed by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had a pretty simple goal: to solve disagreements without using weapons. What both countries agreed to do in the Simla Agreement:
- Respect the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and do not try to change it by force.
- Keep their problems between themselves and do not let the outside world get involved.
- Avoid war and try to solve it peacefully first.
It was a big deal. This deal gave both groups a reason to keep talking, even when things got heated over the years.
Why Pakistan Says the Simla Agreement Is “Dead”
Let’s go to 2025. Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, dropped a shock in an open TV interview: the Simla Agreement is over. “We’re back to the 1948 position,” he said, referring to the time when the United Nations had called the LoC just a “ceasefire line,” not an official border.
That’s a big shift. Basically, Pakistan is saying it no longer wants to play by the bilateral rulebook. Instead, it wants the world to step in and deal with Kashmir as an international issue.
Asif didn’t stop there. He threw shade on other agreements, too, like the Indus Waters Treaty. He even hinted that Pakistan is consulting with Gulf allies and has briefed China, the UK, and the US. Clearly, Islamabad wants to get the global powers involved.
India’s Take: Still Holding on to Bilateral Talks
India, on the other hand, doesn’t want any of it. For New Delhi, the deal from Simla is still in effect. The Indian government has a simple view: Kashmir is an internal matter, and all problems with Pakistan should be fixed between the two governments without any help from outside.
Indian officials were quick to reaffirm that position. They emphasized that bilateral dialogue is the only acceptable path. Bringing in outsiders? That’s a red line for India.
This isn’t new. When India revoked Article 370 in August 2019 and changed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, Pakistan immediately tried to take the issue to international platforms. But India pushed back hard, insisting the move was purely domestic. So, while Pakistan now says the Simla Agreement is over, India is sticking to it.
The Bigger Picture: What the World Thinks
Any time India and Pakistan make headlines like this, the world takes notice. And with good reason—both countries are nuclear powers with a complicated history.
So, how are other countries reacting? China has asked people to be careful. There are secret talks going on between both sides in the Gulf to try to calm things down. The US? Washington has been quiet about the problem so far, watching it play out without getting involved.
It gets even more interesting now. In a different interview, Khawaja Asif said something shocking: he admitted that Pakistan had helped terrorist groups in the past, which was a big mistake.”We did the dirty work for the West,” he said about the late 2001 elections and the Cold War. The world is still worried about Pakistan’s part in keeping the world safe, and this new information makes things even worse.
Conclusion
What’s the next step? Honesty, it’s a mixed bag and hard to predict.
The game has changed because Pakistan was brave enough to throw out the Simla Agreement. When they say, “We’re done with bilateral talks,” they’ve pretty much dropped the political ball. They want to bring the Kashmir issue to the attention of the whole world. This will put more pressure on India, make headlines around the world, and could lead to more instability in the area.
But don’t forget that India isn’t giving up either. By keeping to the Simla Agreement, New Delhi makes it very clear that it won’t let anyone else get involved. It’s hard to take that stance when your neighbour is actively working to get everyone to be against you.
The wild card is the world’s superpowers. China wants things to be quiet. The Gulf countries are acting as go-betweens. So far, the US has kept quiet. But when things get tense in a nuclear neighbourhood, quiet can quickly turn into action.
That brings us to the main problem: Kashmir. It’s been a flashpoint for more than 70 years, and the new political change makes things even worse. It will be interesting to see if this leads to new talks, more attention from other countries, or another standoff at the LoC.
It’s clear that the gloves are off, and the rules have been broken. What both countries do next will have a big impact on South Asia’s future.
For more information, follow us on social media