Lahore Declaration

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Lahore Declaration
  • Urdu: لاہور اعلانیہ (Lahore Aylaniya)
Official flags of India and Pakistan at the Wagha border. In 1999, Indian Prime minister and the high-profile delegation came to Pakistan from Wagha Border and received by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
TypeStrategic nuclear governance, control, and law
Drafted19 December 1998 – 19 January 1999( Draft period 1 month)
Signed21 February 1999; 25 years ago (1999-02-21)
LocationLahore, Pakistan
Effective21 February 1999 (1999-02-21)
ConditionRatification of both parties
ExpirationAgreement is still in effect
NegotiatorsMinister of External Affairs of India and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan
SignatoriesAtal Bihari Vajpayee
(Prime Minister of India)
Nawaz Sharif
(Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Parties India
 Pakistan
RatifiersParliament of India
Parliament of Pakistan
DepositaryGovernment of Pakistan and Government of India
Languages

The Lahore Declaration was a

Pakistan. The treaty was signed on 21 February 1999, at the conclusion of a historic summit in Lahore, and ratified by the parliaments of both countries the same year.[1]

Under the terms of the treaty, a mutual understanding was reached towards the development of atomic arsenals and to avoid accidental and unauthorised operational use of nuclear weapons. The Lahore Declaration brought added responsibility to both nations' leadership towards avoiding

Pakistan
and came into force the same year.

The Lahore Declaration signalled a major breakthrough in overcoming the

atomic tests carried out by both nations in May 1998. Widely popular in the public circles in Pakistan and hailed by the international community, the relations would very soon lose impetus after infiltration of Pakistan forces into Kargil, which led to the outbreak of 1999 Indo-Pakistan War
in May 1999.

Overview

The Lahore treaty was one of the most important and historical treaties of India and Pakistan to normalise the relations to ease up the military tensions in South Asia. In 1972, the

nuclear race
between two countries and to establish South Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SANWFZ), for which negotiations were never concluded.

In 1988, Pakistan and India reached an important understanding towards controlling the nuclear weapons, and signed the

nuclear war
.

Negotiations

In 1998, the Foreign ministries of both countries had been initiating peace process to ease up the tension in the region. On 23 September 1998 both governments signed an agreement recognising the principle of building an environment of peace and security and resolving all bilateral conflicts, which became the basis of the Lahore Declaration.

Foreign Office announced the state visit of Indian Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee aboard the maiden bus service between the two countries.[3]

Before the arrival of Indian Prime Minister, a warm welcome awaited Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee when he arrived at Wagah by the inaugural bus service between New Delhi and Lahore.

inaugural bus service connecting the Indian capital of New Delhi with the major Pakistani city of Lahore, establishing a major transport link for the peoples of both nations.[4] The inaugural bus also carried Indian celebrities and dignitaries such as Dev Anand, Satish Gujral, Javed Akhtar, Kuldip Nayar, Kapil Dev, Shatrughan Sinha and Mallika Sarabhai.[5] He was received amidst great fanfare and media attention at the Pakistani border post of Wagah by Pakistan Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, with whom he had been at loggerheads a year before over the nuclear tests controversy. The summit was hailed worldwide as a major breakthrough and milestone in bilateral relations and a historic step towards ending conflict and tensions in the region.[5]

Drafting and Signatures

The Lahore declaration is one notable treaty after the 1988

MoU on 21 February 1999, identifying measures aimed at promoting an environment of peace and security between the two countries.[6] The MOU reaffirmed the continued commitment of their respective governments to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.[6]

The MoU reiterated the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement in letter and spirit; and that an environment of peace and security is in the national interest of both countries and that resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, is essential for this purpose.[6] The parliaments of both countries quickly ratified and acceded the treaties following the signatures.[6]

Content

The Lahore Declaration was signed on 21 February along with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) after three rounds of talks between the Indian and Pakistani leaders.[1][7] In its content, both governments asserted their commitment to the vision of peace, stability and mutual progress and their full commitment to the Simla Agreement and the UN Charter. Both governments recognised through the Lahore Declaration that the development of nuclear weapons brought added responsibility to both nations towards avoiding conflict and promoted the importance of Confidence-building measures, especially to avoid accidental and unauthorised use of nuclear weapons.[1][7] India and Pakistan also decided to give each other advance notification of ballistic missile flight tests and accidental or unexplained use of nuclear weapons to avoid the outbreak of a nuclear conflict.[7] Its important inter alia stated:

The Lahore Declaration and the MoU incorporated a joint commitment to intensify efforts to resolve the

In the joint statement issued after the conclusion of the summit, both governments said that their

prisoners of war. The Indian Prime Minister thanked his Pakistani counterpart and issued an invitation for a future summit in India.[1]

Public debates and Reactions

Pakistan public and media opinion

The Lahore treaty was very popular in Pakistan's

PPP, hailed and congratulated Nawaz Sharif for successfully reaching the Lahore treaty.[4][9]

However, it was speculated in the Indian news media that many in

Indian public and media opinion

The Lahore Declaration was hailed warmly in India and in the global media and by governments of other nations, forging optimism after the global tensions over the 1998 nuclear tests.[5] The initiative bolstered the popularity of the Vajpayee government in India, cementing his standing as a statesman.[5]

Aftermath and status

The relations between the two nations were completely transformed at the outbreak of the

Indian Administered Kashmir;[12][13] the Indian Army was deployed to evict the Pakistan army soldiers and retake capture the disputed territory.[12] The two-month-long conflict claimed the lives of hundreds of soldiers on both sides and brought both nations close to full-scale war and possible nuclear conflict.[6][9] After this conflict, the "Lahore Treaty" was stalled and no further discussions took place between the two countries on promoting the dialogue and CBMs initiated at Lahore in February 1999.[9]

The conflict was followed by an

Atlantique incident in which the Indian Air Force intercept and shot down the Pakistan Navy's reconnaissance aircraft; a total of eleven naval personnel were killed. After months of contentious relations with the military and judiciary, a military coup d'état was staged by Pakistan Armed Forces that overthrew the Government of Nawaz Sharif and brought the chairman joint chiefs General Pervez Musharraf, believed to be responsible for the Kargil incursion,[13] to power, thus exacerbating doubts over the future of the relations between the two nations.[13] Despite many political difficulties, India reiterated the necessity of implementing the Simla and Lahore treaties and said India would support the Simla Agreement, Lahore Declaration, and the issue of cross-border terrorism.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f The Lahore Declaration
  2. ^ Shakti tests
  3. ^ Hasan Akhtar (13 February 1999). "Nawaz-Vajpayee agenda includes Kashmir, N-issue". Dawn Wire Services, 13 1999. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ashraf Mumtaz (19 February 1999). "Vajpayee arrives today: Open-ended agenda for summit". Dawn Wire Service 1999. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Vajpayee drives across the border into Pakistan and history
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Lahore Declaration. "Lahore Declaration". Governments of India and Pakistan. Much Thanks to NTI for providing the text. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Vajpayee, Sharief sign Lahore Declaration
  8. ^ a b c Press. "Lahore Declaration Text" (PDF). Governments of India and Pakistan. Thanks much to CNS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e Staff (1 June 2003). "The Lahore Declaration". Story of Pakistan (Ateam Developments). Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  10. ^ Tribune India
  11. ^ Pakistani military chiefs boycott welcome
  12. ^ a b Kargil War; Blasting Peace Archived 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b c Musharraf Vs. Sharif: Who's Lying? Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine