INDIA PAKISTAN RELATIONS

Policies related: Neighbourhood First Policy, Gujral Doctrine

History of the relation

1. 1947: Two nation Theory divided India & Pakistan.
2. 1947-48: Indo Pak War. On October 22, 1947, with Hari Singh dithering on accession to India, Pashtun tribal militiamen along with Pakistani forces poured into the Kashmir Valley and marched towards Srinagar in accordance with a plan known as Operation Gulmarg. On the way, the lashkars engaged in massive plunder and looting in Baramulla.
3. Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India on October 26, 1947. The Indian Army then landed in the Kashmir Valley and began an operation to push back the Pakistani invaders. India secured 2/3rd of Kashmir & Pak secured 1/3rd of Kashmir. (Azad Kashmir). The matter was taken to the UN and it declared a ceasefire. The UN also asked to conduct a plebiscite when both nations agreed.
4. 1960: Indus Water Treaty: The treaty was signed between both countries in presence of World Bank. Overall, 80% water is to be allotted to Pakistan, and 20% to India.
5. 1963: Pakistan hands over Shaksgam Valley to China. In a boundary agreement in 1963, Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam Valley to China. The Shaksgam Valley or the Trans Karakoram Tract is part of the Hunza-Gilgit region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and is a territory claimed by India but controlled by Pakistan. The agreement laid the foundation of the Karakoram highway, built jointly by China and Pakistan in the 1970s.

1965 WAR

1. 1965: Operation Gibraltar by Pakistan. Infiltration in Kashmir & Indian forces retaliated from the Punjab border. Indian forces reached almost till Lahore. This event is also called the Indo Pak war of 1965.
2. 1966: Tashkent Agreement between India and Pakistan.(brokered by USSR). It was signed between Indian PM LB Shastri and Pak Prez Ayub Khan. The agreement ended the 17 day war between India and Pakistan. It also restored diplomatic relations. The armed forces now had to hold positions held before August 1965.

1971 WAR

1. 1971: Bangladesh Liberation war.
2. 1972: Shimla Agreement. (2nd July 1972). Between Indira Gandhi and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. LoC needed to maintain a Ceasefire zone from December 1972 and should be respected by both sides. (Without third party mediation)
3. 1976: Samjhauta Express, a train service started between Delhi & Lahore. (envisaged under Shimla Agreement)
4. 1984: Operation Meghdoot. Siachen Glacier captured by India. Military presence of India established.
5. 1999: Lahore summit. Between AB Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. Mutual understanding was reached towards the development of atomic arsenals and to avoid accidental and unauthorised operational use of nuclear weapons. The agreement was ratified by both the countries. Delhi Lahore Bus Service starts.

KARGIL WAR

1. 2001:  Agra Summit- Between Gen Pervez Musharraf and AB Vajpayee. It was a failed summit due to lack of trust on the Pak contingent and their hollow promises to halt cross border terrorism and infiltrations. Seperatist factions from Kashmir were also invited to the summit.

ATTACK ON INDIAN PARLIAMENT

2. 2008: Trade Pact signed between India and Pakistan to improve trade relations.

26/11 MUMBAI ATTACKS BY PAKISTAN.

1. 2014: Talks revived with new leadership in India.
2. 2015: PM Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan to greet PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday. (25 December, 2015)
3. 2016:  January-Pathankot air base attacks by Pakistan. September-Uri army base attacked by Pakistani terrorists. India retaliated by a surgical strike and destroyed the launchpads of terrorists.
4. 2019: Pulwama attacks by terrorists.

BALAKOT AIR STRIKES BY IAF IN RETALIATION.

1. Most Favoured Nation tag removed by India. Import duties raised to 200%. Pakistan in return banned Indian content to be aired on TV and theatre.
2. 2019: Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was abrogated. Pakistan reacted by expelling the Indian High Commissioner and suspending all trade with India. The Delhi-Lahore bus service was stopped along with Samjhauta Express.
3. Kartarpur Corridor opened in 2020. It connects two Gurudwaras i.e. Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur, India and Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

SIGNIFICANCE OF A STABLE & FRIENDLY PAKISTAN

1. Pakistan gives swift and short access to the Central Asian Region.
2. Increased trade with Pakistan will benefit both sides and the south Asian region also.
3. Increased engagements at multilateral forums like SAARC will be beneficial for the entire region.
4. Defense expenditure may be reduced as the mutual hostility towards each other will reduce.
5. Cultural connectivity will give a new dimension to bilateral relations.

Challenges: 

1. Cross Border Terrorism: Terror outfits like Jaish e Muhammad & Lashkar e Taiba are a constant threat to India. Adoption of the philosophy of Bleeding India by a 1000 cuts drives terrorism from Pakistan. This philosophy was adopted after consecutive losses by Pakistan in full scale wars.
2. Maritime dispute: Sir Creek is a 96 km long estuary in Rann of Kutch region. Pak claims the entire Sir Creek (according to a 1914 agreement between Govt of Sindh and Rulers of Kutch) . India claims that the boundary lies mid channel (according to the Thalweg principle). Sir Creek is also called the Green Line. It is rich in oil and natural gas resources and fishing resources.
3. Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade: Pakistan has categorically rejected the demand voiced by Afghan President that India be made a party to its transit trade pact with Kabul, saying it is not possible given Islamabad’s sensitivities on security and other related issues.
4. Kulbhushan Jadhav case: He was arrested in 2016 from South Balochistan. Pakistan claims him to be an Indian spy involved in anti-Pakistan activities in Balochistan region. Whereas India claims that he is a retired naval officer turned into a businessman and now owns a cargo business. In 2017, the Pakistan army court gave him a death sentence. India approached International Court of Justice. (ICJ). ICJ ordered to hold the death sentence. In 2019, ICJ ruled that Pak must review the death sentence and grant consular access for Kulbhushan Jadhav. Pakistan has only once granted consular access.
5. Increasing presence of China in Pakistan through the infrastructure projects like  Gwadar Port, CPEC etc.

CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC)

1. India has slammed China and Pakistan for seeking participation of third countries in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
2. Although, it has not been officially revealed who might be investing in the project, analysts believe that Saudi Arabia, UAE and Germany might come on board.
3. Soon after coming to power in Afghanistan last year, the Taliban had expressed desire to join the infrastructure project.
4. During an April 2015 visit to Islamabad, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif unveiled the $46 billion CPEC.
5. The corridor links Xinjiang with Gwadar, and also passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where China is investing in a number of projects.
6. Often described as a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the stated goal of CPEC is:

• to transform Pakistan’s economy by modernizing its road, rail, air, and energy transportation systems;
• to connect the deep-sea Pakistani ports of Gwadar and Karachi to China’s Xinjiang province and beyond by overland routes.

ONE BELT ONE ROAD/ BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE

1. The OBOR initiative was announced in 2013 by China’s President Xi Jinping.
2. The ‘Belt’ refers to the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’, which is a series of overland routes reminiscent of the Silk Road of antiquity and the late Middle Ages, while the ‘Road’ refers to the sea routes, which is also referred to as the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
3. India initially was part of BRI but opted out of it in 2019.
4. Reason: CPEC (part of BRI) is passing through PoK (a territory claimed by India & administered by Pakistan)

Way forward

1. India and Pakistan should seriously consider initiating an institutionalised, regular but discreet dialogue between the intelligence chiefs.
2. It is vital that Track II dialogues be encouraged by both New Delhi and Islamabad. Recently, a group of Indian experts has visited Pakistan to discuss all aspects of bilateral ties and revive the Track II diplomacy process with Islamabad amidst the chill in the relationship. The original Track II initiative, Neemrana Dialogue, received a fresh start with the visit.
3. Attempts should be made to create a visa-free regime for important stakeholders: including academics, journalists, businessmen, students, artists and former senior officials.
4. Resumption of dialogue between the two countries and deep engagement of the two, where the chances of conflict is less and coordination is more. For example, working together on climate change, technological exchange of information, etc.
5. India should go for the revival of SAARC, the only multilateral regional forum for the engagement with Pakistan, so as to set an annual bilateral meeting platform for consistent growth in relations and regional development also.

Conclusion

In keeping with its “Neighbourhood First Policy”, India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. India’s consistent position is that issues, if any, between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence.

The onus is on Pakistan to create such a conducive environment. It has been made clear that India will not compromise on issues relating to national security and will take firm and decisive steps to deal with all attempts to undermine India’s security and territorial integrity.

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