Tashkent

Declaration

The Tashkent Declaration was a peace

agreement between India and Pakistan
signed on 10 January 1966 that resolved
the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Peace had
been achieved on 23 September by the
intervention of the external powers who
pushed the two nations to cease fire,
afraid the conflict could escalate and draw
in other powers.[1]

Tashkent Declaration
Type Peace Treaty

Context Indo-Pakistani War of

1965

Signed 10 January 1966

Location Tashkent, Soviet Union

Signatories Lal Bahadur Shastri

(Prime Minister of
India)
Muhammad Ayub Khan
(President of Pakistan)

Parties  India
 Pakistan

Languages English
The war between India and Pakistan in
1965 was an escalation of the small scale
and irregular fighting from April 1965 to
September 1965 between both
countries.[2] It was over control of the
resources and population of the state of
Jammu and Kashmir, a sore point between
both countries ever since Partition in
1947.[2]

Overview
The meeting was held in Tashkent in the
Uzbek SSR, USSR (now Uzbekistan) from
4–10 January 1966 to try to create a more
permanent settlement.[2]
The Soviets, represented by Premier Alexei
Kosygin, moderated between Indian Prime
Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani
President Muhammad Ayub Khan.[3][4]

The Tashkent conference, under United

Nations, American and Soviet pressure,
compelled India and Pakistan to abide by
their previous treaty obligations and
accept Status quo ante bellum – to give
away the captured regions of each other
and return to the 1949 ceasefire line in
Kashmir.[5][6]

Declaration
The conference was viewed as a great
success and the declaration that was
released was hoped to be a framework for
lasting peace. The declaration stated
that[1] Indian and Pakistani forces would
pull back to their pre-conflict positions,
pre-August lines,[1] no later than 25
February 1966,[2] the nations would not
interfere in each other's internal affairs,
economic and diplomatic relations would
be restored, there would be an orderly
transfer of prisoners of war, and the two
leaders would work towards improving
bilateral relations.[2]

Aftermath
The agreement was criticized in India
because it did not contain a no-war pact or
any renunciation of guerrilla warfare in
Kashmir. After signing the agreement,
Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
died mysteriously in Tashkent.[2] Shastri's
sudden death has led to persistent
conspiracy theories that he was
poisoned.[7] The Indian government has
refused to declassify a report on his death
claiming that this could harm foreign
relations, cause disruption in the country
and cause a breach of parliamentary
privileges.[7]
In accordance with the Tashkent
Declaration, talks at the ministerial level
were held on 1 and 2 March 1966. Despite
the fact that these talks were
unproductive, diplomatic exchange
continued throughout the spring and
summer. No result was achieved out of
these talks, as there was a difference of
opinion over the Kashmir issue. News of
the Tashkent Declaration shocked the
people of Pakistan who were expecting
something different. Things further
worsened as Ayub Khan refused to
comment and went into seclusion instead
of announcing the reasons for signing the
agreement. Demonstrations and rioting
erupted at various places throughout
Pakistan.[2] In order to dispel the anger and
misgivings of the people, Ayub Khan
decided to lay the matter before the
people by addressing the nation on 14
January 1966. It was the difference over
Tashkent Declaration, which eventually led
to the removal of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from
Ayub’s government, who later on launched
his own party, called the Pakistan People’s
Party. Although Ayub Khan was able to
satisfy the misgivings of the people, the
Tashkent Declaration greatly damaged his
image and was one of the factors that led
to his downfall.[8]
See also
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Shimla Agreement

References
1. "The 1965 war" . BBC News website.
Retrieved 29 June 2017.
2. "June 30th 1965: A Ceasefire was
Agreed under UN Auspices Between
India and Pakistan, Who Signed a
Treaty to Stop the War at Rann of
Kutch" . MapsofIndia.com. Retrieved
30 June 2017.
3. Bratersky, Alexander (12 January
2016). "At Tashkent, Soviet peace over
 India and Pakistan" . Retrieved
10 January 2018.
4. "Tashkent Declaration" . Seventeen
Moments in Soviet History. 1
September 2015. Retrieved
10 January 2018.
5. Bajwa, Farooq. From Kutch to
Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of
1965. Hurst Publishers. p. 362.
ISBN 9781849042307.
6. Bisht, Rachna. 1965: Stories from the
Second Indo-Pakistan War . Penguin
UK. p. 139. ISBN 9789352141296.
7. Dhawan, Himanshi (11 July 2009). "45
yrs on, Shastri's death a mystery" .
 The Times of India. Retrieved
10 January 2018.
8. The falling out at Tashkent (1966)
between Ayub Khan and Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto , The Friday Times newspaper,
Updated 4 November 2016, Retrieved
30 June 2017

External links
Full text of Tashkent Declaration , UN
Peacemaker
All peace agreement for India , UN
Peacemaker
All peace agreements for Pakistan , UN
Peacemaker
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Tashkent_Declaration&oldid=923017111"

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