Tashkent Agreement and its Main Points
The conflict between Indian and Pakistan took an ugly shape when both the nations waged war against each other in 1965. Fearing the involvement of the other stronger nations which might have deteriorated the situation, both nations signed a treaty, known as Tashkent Agreement on 10th January 1966 after the intervention and mediation done by the Soviet Union. In this article, we will study the different points of this agreement and will discuss the aftermath of this peace treaty.
What is the Tashkent Agreement?
As mentioned earlier, India and Pakistan waged war against each other in 1965 due to various disputes related to land acquisitions and border controls. Both the countries were already facing downtime due to the slowing down of the economy and the late-blooming of industries. If this war continued for a few years, both countries would have been pushed back decades behind in terms of economic development.
The war started in 1965. The then Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Lal Bahadur Shashtri, and the contemporary Pakistani President, Mr. Muhammad Ayub Khan signed a treaty under the mediation of the Soviet Union in Tashkent. This place was located in the then Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. It is now called Uzbekistan.
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The entire conference was held from 4th to 10th January 1966 under the supervision of Aleksey Kosygin, the Soviet Union Premier. In this conference, both the nations agreed and declared peace and withdrew their forces from the borders to maintain peace. They agreed neither of them will interfere with each other’s internal affairs, diplomatic relations, and economy and will maintain fraternity. Both the leaders representing these countries agreed to initiate and fortify bilateral relations in the Tashkent declaration.
Major points of Tashkent Agreement 1966
The Tashkent Agreement main points according to the bilateral documents displayed on the official website of the Ministry of External Affairs are:
Indian and Pakistan ensured that they will resolve their disputes in a peaceful manner by maintaining accordance with the United Nations. No forceful measures will be taken to dissolve the friction and disputes and both nations will remain peaceful at all costs. They also decided not to indulge in conflict regarding the Jammu and Kashmir background and will look after the interests of 600 million of the contemporary population of Indians and Pakistanis.
The Indian Prime Minister and the Pakistani President decided to retreat their armed troops from the borders and will withdraw all kinds of forceful measures to reduce tension in the line of control. They agreed to retrace from the positions they held on 5th August 1965 and signed the Tashkent treaty. After signing the treaty, both nations withdrew the troops from the borders on 25th February 1966. Both sides observed a cease-fire under the mediation of the Soviet Union and the United Nations Charter.
The Pakistani President and the Indian Prime Minister agreed that both nations will now maintain a relationship following the principles of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. No one will take interest in the internal affairs of the other party. It was mentioned in the Tashkent Treaty and was signed by both parties.
Both nations agreed to the terms in the Tashkent declaration that they will discourage raising any propaganda against the other nation and will encourage in promoting fraternity and mutual development to become stronger. India and Pakistan will follow the course of friendship in terms of external affairs and will seek measures to develop their mutual infrastructure as they are neighbors.
The fifth point in the agreement said that the High Commissioner of India and Pakistan will return to their respective posts and will hold the responsible positions. The diplomatic missions will be carried on further for maintaining fraternity. In fact, both nations agreed to observe the terms mentioned in the Diplomatic Intercourse of the Vienna Convention 1961.
Being neighboring countries, India and Pakistan agreed to restore the trade relations and will open the borders for communications and cultural exchanges too. They will also look after the measures for implementing existing agreements.
Both the governments agreed to return the prisoners of war as an effort of repatriation mentioned in the agreement.
The President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India will also discuss the issues related to illegal immigration and evictions of refugees in detail. They also agreed to prevent the exodus of natives. In fact, both nations also agreed to return the assets and properties acquired by the other side as a gesture of fraternity.
Both nations agreed that they will keep on meeting on higher grounds for such fruitful discussions and world conventions and also agreed to set a joint body for reporting the respective governments to take necessary measures.
Both representatives of the nations agreed to all these terms and showed deep appreciation to the Soviet Union leaders. They also expressed gratitude to the friendly Uzbek people for conducting a platform to sign the Tashkent Agreement and making history.
FAQs on Major points of Tashkent Treaty 1966
1. What was the reason for the Indo-Pak War in 1965?
Both nations were conflicting with each other regarding the line of control of Jammu and Kashmir. This state has been the reason for conflict and friction since the day India and Pakistan achieved independence from Colonial Rule. The history of the Tashkent Agreement depicts that both nations deployed armed personnel to the common borders and waged war against each other. It was the intervention of the Soviet Union and the United Nations Charter that restored peace and made the nations sign the treaty of Tashkent on 10th January 1966. The armed troops receded from their positions on 25th February 1966 under the order of the respective sovereign authorities.
2. What are the terms that India and Pakistan agreed to in the Tashkent Treaty?
Both nations agreed that they will not interfere in each other’s internal affairs and will resolve any dispute with peace. Both nations will not show friction and will resolve issues without showing aggression. In fact, India and Pakistan will also participate in mutual economic and social development following the terms of the Vienna Convention 1961.
