Tashkent Declaration: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Peace agreement ending the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}

{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}

| caption            =

| type                = Peace treaty

| location_signed    = [[Tashkent]], [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbek SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]

| mediators          = {{flagdeco|Soviet Union}} [[Alexei Kosygin]]

{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|India}} [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]}}<br />{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Pakistan}} [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Muhammad Ayub Khan]]}}

{{hlist|{{nowrap|{{flag|India}}}}|{{nowrap|{{flag|Pakistan}}}}}}

|language=English}}

The '''Tashkent Declaration''' was signed between [[India]] and [[Pakistan]] on 10 January 1966 to resolve the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]. Peace was achieved on 23 September through interventions by the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[United States]], both of which pushed the two warring countries towards a ceasefire in an attempt to avoid any escalation that could draw in other powers.<ref name="BBCnews">{{cite news|title=The 1965 war|work=BBC News website|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/south_asia/2002/india_pakistan/timeline/1965.stm|access-date=24 July 2022}}</ref><ref name=RB/>

The meeting was hosted by the [[Soviet Union]] in the city of [[Tashkent]], [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbekistan]], from 4 to 10 January 1966 in an attempt to create a more permanent settlement between the warring sides.<ref name="MapsOfIndia"/>

The Soviets, represented by Soviet politician [[Alexei Kosygin|Aleksey Kosygin]], moderated between Indian prime minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] and Pakistani president [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Muhammad Ayub Khan]].<ref name=RB>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/history/2016/01/12/at-tashkent-soviet-peace-over-india-and-pakistan_558665|title=At Tashkent, Soviet peace over India and Pakistan|last=Bratersky|first=Alexander|date=12 January 2016|access-date=24 July 2020|language=en-US|website=Russia Beyond website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1968-2/third-world-friendships/third-world-friendships-texts/tashkent-declaration/|title=Tashkent Declaration|date=2015-09-01|work=Seventeen Moments in Soviet History|access-date=2018-01-10|language=en-US}}</ref>

A declaration was released that was hoped to be a framework for lasting peace by stating that the Indian military and the Pakistani military would pull back to their pre-conflict positions, their pre-August lines,<ref name=BBCnews/> no later than 25 February 1966; neither nation would 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 both leaders would work towards improving bilateral relations.

The treaty was heavily criticized in both countries, as Indians and Pakistanis were expecting more concessions to their respective sides than what had been agreed upon. In accordance with the Tashkent Declaration, talks were held at the ministerial level on 1 and 2 March 1966. Despite the fact that these talks were unproductive, the diplomatic exchange continued throughout the spring and summer, though stark differences of opinion on the [[Kashmir conflict]] culminated in the lack of a resolution from bilateral discussions.

In [[India]], the agreement was criticized because it did not contain a no-war pact or any renunciation of guerrilla warfare across [[Kashmir]]. After the Tashkent Declaration was signed, Indian prime minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] died under mysterious circumstances in Tashkent;<ref name="MapsOfIndia"/> his sudden death led to the rise of conspiracy theories claiming that he was poisoned.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/45-yrs-on-Shastris-death-a-mystery/articleshow/4764773.cms|title=45 yrs on, Shastri's death a mystery|last=Dhawan|first=Himanshi|date=11 July 2009|work=The Times of India|access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref> In 1993, journalist Gregory Douglas conducted a series of interviews with American intelligence officer [[Robert Crowley (CIA)|Robert Crowley]]. According to Douglas, Crowley claimed that the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] assassinated Shastri as well as Indian nuclear scientist [[Homi J. Bhabha]] (who died on [[Air India Flight 101]]) in order to thwart the development of [[India and weapons of mass destruction|India's nuclear weapons programme]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Gregory |title=Conversations with the Crow |publisher=Basilisk Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0991175208 |pages=66–67 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Unrevealed |first=Files |date=2021-09-23 |title=Homi Bhabha's Death: An Unfortunate Accident or the Hands of the Crow |url=https://www.unrevealedfiles.com/homi-bhabhas-death-an-unfortunate-accident-or-the-hands-of-the-crow/ |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=Unrevealed Files |language=en-US}}</ref> The Indian government has refused to declassify a report on his death under the claim that it would harm India's foreign relations, cause disruption in the country, and breach parliamentary privileges.<ref name=":0" />

In [[Pakistan]], the agreement caused widespread distress; social upset was exacerbated after Pakistani president [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Muhammad Ayub Khan]] went into seclusion in the ceasefire's aftermath, as demonstrations and riots erupted across the country.<ref name="MapsOfIndia">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/on-this-day/june-30-1965-a-ceasefire-is-agreed-under-un-auspices-between-india-and-pakistan-to-stop-the-war-at-the-rann-of-kutch|title=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|website=MapsofIndia.com|date=30 June 2014|access-date=24 July 2022}}</ref> However, Khan later addressed the nation on 14 January 1966 and explained the rationale behind the agreement. Although he was eventually able to quell the unrest, the Tashkent Declaration greatly damaged Khan's image, and was one of the factors that ultimately led to his downfall in 1969.<ref>[https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/the-falling-out-at-tashkent-1966/ The falling out at Tashkent (1966) between Ayub Khan and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto] The Friday Times (newspaper), Updated 4 November 2016, Retrieved 24 July 2020</ref><ref name="PublicAffairs, Lieven">{{cite book |last1=Lieven |first1=Anatol |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=exBKSo-Pf6cC&q=Bengali%20Pakistani%20people%5C&pg=PT77 |title=Pakistan: A Hard Country |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2012 |isbn=978-1610391627 |language=en |access-date=23 December 2022}}</ref>

*[[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|India–Pakistan conflict]]

**[[Simla Agreement|Shimla Agreement]] (1972)