India’s actions against Pakistan have resulted in Simla agreement losing its sanctity, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday.
Asif, known for shooting his mouth, made the remarks to Geo News.
The Pakistani defence minister made several inconsistent statements in the last few weeks following the Pahalgam terror attack.
“The agreement was bilateral (…) as no third party or the World Bank was involved,” Asif told the channel.
The Pakistani defence minister also indicated that Islamabad could consider terminating the Simla agreement and that in such a situation the Line of Control (LoC) beween India and Pakistan will become a “ceasefire line”.
Following India’s punitive measures against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan had only threatened to terminate the Simla agreement. But there was no subsequent move to cancel the historic pact.
The Simla Agreement was signed after the 1971 war between the two countries and lays down principles meant to govern bilateral relations.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
The hostilities between the two sides ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. PTI SH ZH MPB ZH
