Indo-Pak relations post Simla Agreement: A chronology

Here's how relations between India and Pakistan transpired post the Simla Agreement. After several diplomatic attempts for peace through dialogue over the years, the tensions remain high following the Indian government's move on Kashmir.

Hyderabad: Though the United Nations gradually moved away from the Kashmir issue following the 1971 Bangladesh war, relations between India and Pakistan have continued to remain bitter. Here's how relations between the two nuclear neighbours shaped up after the Simla Agreement.

The first turning point in the diplomatic relations between the two nations came after India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, becoming the first non-permanent UNSC member to do so.

With the onset of armed resistance in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989, India accused Pakistan of providing weapons and training to the fighters, thereby fueling the movement. Pakistan, however, denied its direct role and claimed it only offered 'moral and diplomatic' support.

However, in the year 1991, both nations signed an agreement to provide joint military exercises and prevent any airspace violations in the future. A year later, a joint declaration prohibiting the use of chemical weapons was signed in New Delhi.

Tensions were on the rise again as repeated clashes followed and military officials from both the sides met at LoC to ease further tensions in 1996. International sanctions followed when India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998.

Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee tried to defuse growing tensions the following year when he rode a bus to Pakistan to meet then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to sign a major peace accord - the Lahore Declaration.

Peace, however, did not remain for long as conflict erupted in Kargil. Pakistani forces occupied the Himalayan peaks. India launched repeated strikes and reclaimed her territory. USA had to step in to broker peace.

The beginning of the 2000s saw repeated attacks on Indian soil. Jammu and Kashmir assembly was attacked in 2001, and 38 people were killed. Later, gunmen attacked the Indian Parliament, killing 14.

In 2004, PM Vajpayee and his Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf held direct talks at the 12th SAARC summit in Islamabad. The years which followed, witnessed both sides indulging in 'Composite dialogue process' at various government levels. Trade routes were opened in 2008 across Kashmir.

The peace did not last long as India blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT for the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, in which 166 people were killed.

Newly-elected PM Narendra Modi tried to re-establish ties as he invited Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in and made a surprise visit to Lahore on Sharif's birthday the following year.

A serious of events then unfolded in Kashmir. Months after the Pathankot airbase attack Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter, sparking months of anti-India protests and deadly clashes. Two months later, another terror attack followed, killing 18 soldiers at an Indian army base in Uri.

The rhetoric had changed and India openly reiterated its stand on terror emanating from Pakistani soil. Eleven days after the Uri attack, Indian Army carried out a 'surgical strike' to destroy terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan.

In 2019, tensions escalated quickly when a suicide attack on CRPF bus in Pulwama killed 40 jawans.

Ever since, India has isolated Pakistan in International forums and stepped up its anti-terror resolve against its neighbour. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for Pulwama, following which the IAF conducted airstrikes on JeM's training camp in Pakistan.

The days which followed saw both nations involved in direct conflict as Pakistani jets entered Indian airspace, following which the two air forces engaged in a dogfight.

In another huge victory for India in the International forum, the International Court of Justice asked Pakistan to review conviction and sentencing of Kulbhushan Jadhav and ruled in favour of consular access.

In a major policy shift with regard to Kashmir, the Indian government struck down provisions of Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the state was also bifurcated into two Union Territories.

The UNSC then held a rare closed-door meeting to discuss Kashmir, after Pakistan, backed by China, requested 'closed consultations' on the issue. However, much of the International support remains in favour of India, and Pakistan's attempts to bring up the issue internationally have died down in every multilateral forum.

Read:How Kashmir played out at the United Nations