No decision made to revoke Simla Accord with India, says Foreign Office
Pakistan
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced on Thursday Pakistan had officially withdrawn from accord
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Foreign Office has rejected speculations regarding the cancellation of the Simla Agreement.
According to officials, no decision has been made to revoke any bilateral agreement with India. The Foreign Office clarified that there has been no formal move to cancel the agreement.
Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced on Thursday that Pakistan had officially withdrawn from the Simla Agreement with India, declaring that the Line of Control (LoC) would now be treated as a ceasefire line, effectively reverting to Pakistan’s 1948 stance.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Asif emphasised that the accord was a bilateral arrangement with no involvement from a third party or the World Bank. He stated that its cancellation marks the restoration of the LoC’s original status as a ceasefire line.
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The Simla Agreement, signed following the 1971 war, outlined key principles for managing Pakistan-India relations, including adherence to the ceasefire line in Kashmir.
Khawaja Asif’s remarks came in the wake of India's recent unilateral decision to end the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), coupled with unprovoked attacks inside Pakistan last month, which escalated tensions and sparked military skirmishes between the two nuclear powers.
