Pakistan clarifies stance on Simla Settlement after Defence Minister Asif’s controversial assertion

A day after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared the 1972 Simla Settlement “a useless doc”, Pakistan’s international ministry issued a press release distancing the federal government from the minister’s feedback. The international workplace clarified that there was no formal resolution to revoke any bilateral agreements with India, together with the landmark Simla Settlement. A senior official confirmed that each one treaties, together with the Simla Settlement, stay operational regardless of inside discussions triggered by latest developments.

Asif’s controversial assertion

In a televised interview on Tuesday, Defence Minister Asif had claimed that India’s unilateral actions, significantly the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, had rendered the Simla Settlement out of date. He mentioned, “We’re again to the 1948 place, when the United Nations declared the Line of Management (LoC) a ceasefire line.” Asif additionally questioned the viability of different agreements just like the Indus Waters Treaty, suggesting that “Simla is already over.”

His feedback got here amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, which flared following the Pahalgam terror assault in April and subsequent Indian navy strikes in Might. Whereas Pakistan had beforehand indicated the opportunity of reviewing the Simla Settlement, Asif’s remarks marked a extra important shift in tone.

Overseas ministry steps in

In response, Pakistan’s international ministry emphasised that there was no formal transfer to scrap present agreements. The official assertion reiterated that the Simla Settlement and different bilateral accords stay in impact, and any choices relating to these treaties could be made following official procedures.

Simla Settlement and its significance

Signed in 1972 after the Indo-Pak warfare, the Simla Settlement laid the muse for resolving disputes between the 2 international locations via peaceable bilateral dialogue. India continues to uphold the ideas outlined within the settlement, regardless of the present strains in relations. Asif’s remarks signalled a possible departure from this framework, advocating for a multilateral strategy to resolving Kashmir disputes.

Pakistan’s nuclear posture and tensions with India

Asif additionally commented on Pakistan’s nuclear readiness, asserting that Pakistan would solely use nuclear weapons within the occasion of a “direct menace” to its existence. The Defence Minister warned that the specter of battle with India stays actual however assured that Pakistan doesn’t search warfare. He disclosed that Islamabad had engaged with regional and worldwide stakeholders, together with Gulf international locations and China, to defuse tensions.