New Delhi: July 2 is a significant day for India and its neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan, as 47 years ago, the Simla Agreement was signed at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the President of Pakistan, and Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India.
The agreement was supposed to serve as a way of reversing the consequences of the 1971 war which severed ties between India and Pakistan as it led to the creation of Bangladesh, earlier known as East Pakistan. India's role in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan is well known.
Indian Army's resounding victory in 1971:
- As a result of the war, Pakistan had lost half its country, its forces in the East, and had to publicly surrender to India. It was also the largest military surrender after World War II.
- The war started when Pakistan launched air strikes on 11 Indian airbases. India then quickly responded and captured around 15,010 kilometers of Pakistan territory.
- The war ended after the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi surrendered to the joint forces of Indian Army and Bangladesh's Mukti Bahini, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh.
- The Indian Army dealt a deafening blow to the Pakistani army as it took 93,000 Pakistani prisoners and gave 75 million people of Bangladesh their independence.
Story behind the historical night
Six months later, the Shimla Agreement was signed, and the Raj Bhawan authorities have safeguarded the heritage - carefully preserving the table, the flags of the two Nations, chairs, pictures and all other material used during the signing. The story of the historical night is also an interesting one. Pakistan President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was in Shimla alongwith his daughter Benazir Bhutto, who herself would later go on to become the Prime Minister. Since the fate of the agreement was uncertain, many media persons had left the Raj Bhawan. However, the media was called on the night of July 2, when it was suddenly decided that the agreement would be signed than and there. Since all the arrangements were made in a hurry, the table did not even have a tablecloth, and even the pen for the signing was borrowed from journalists present there.
Key Takeaways of the Agreement:
- Agreement paved the way for the diplomatic recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan
- Cease-fire line of December 17, 1971 was converted into the Line of Control
- India agreed to release 93,000 Pakistani Prisoners of War
- India also agreed to return the Pakistani territories it captured
- Both countries agreed to hold direct talks, without an intermediary or third party involved
Although the agreement was signed 47 years ago, and provided a framework for 'good neighbourly relations, the Indo-Pak relations continue to remain strained till date. A recent example of the brewing tension between the countries was the Pulwama attack leading to the death of over CRPF jawans in Kashmir allegedly carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfits and a counter attack by the Indian Air Force on the terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot.
