Lahore Declaration

Not to be confused with Treaty of Lahore.

Lahore Declaration

लाहौर घोषणा Urdu: لاہور اعلامیہ (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.
Type	Strategic nuclear governance, control, and law
Drafted	19 December 1998–19 January 1999
Signed	21 February 1999 (1999-02-21)
Location	Lahore, Pakistan
Effective	21 February 1999 (1999-02-21)
Condition	Ratification of both parties
Expiration	Agreement is still in effect
Negotiators	Minister of External Affairs of India and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan
Signatories	Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Prime Minister of India) Nawaz Sharif (Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Parties	India Pakistan
Ratifiers	Parliament of India Parliament of Pakistan
Depositary	Government of Pakistan and Government of India
Languages	Hindi Urdu English

The Lahore Declaration was a governance treaty and bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan. It was signed on 21February 1999, at the end of a significant summit held in Lahore, and both countries' parliaments ratified it later that same year.

The treaty established a mutual understanding regarding the development of nuclear arsenals and aimed to prevent accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. The Lahore Declaration imposed greater responsibility on the leadership of both nations to avoid a nuclear arms race, as well as both unconventional and conventional conflicts. This event was significant in Pakistan's history, fostering an atmosphere of mutual confidence between the two countries. During a widely publicized televised press conference in both nations, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the agreement. This was the second nuclear control treaty between India and Pakistan, committing both sides to uphold the first treaty, the NNAA, which was signed in 1988. The Lahore Declaration was swiftly ratified by the parliaments of both countries and took effect that same year.

The Lahore Declaration marked a significant breakthrough in improving the historically strained bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, particularly in the wake of the nuclear tests conducted by both countries in May 1998. It gained substantial popularity among the public in Pakistan and was positively received by the international community. However, this momentum was short-lived, as relations deteriorated following the infiltration of Pakistani forces into Kargil, which ultimately triggered the 1999 Indo-Pakistan War in May 1999.

Overview

The Lahore Declaration was one of the most significant historical treaties aimed at normalizing relations between India and Pakistan, with the goal of reducing military tensions in South Asia. Prior to this, the Simla Agreement in 1972 sought to establish peaceful relations following the 1971 war, committing both nations to resolve bilateral disputes through dialogue and cooperation. In 1978, Pakistan proposed measures to limit the nuclear arms race between the two countries and to create a South Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SANWFZ), but negotiations on this proposal were never completed.

In 1988, Pakistan and India reached a significant agreement aimed at controlling nuclear weapons, resulting in the signing of the NNAA treaty. However, despite various proposals, the nuclear arms race persisted, exacerbated by heightened tensions over the Kashmir issue during the Cold War. Domestic pressures and growing political momentum led India to conduct nuclear tests in May 1998 (Operation Shakti), despite facing international opposition. In response to India's tests, Pakistan sought to achieve nuclear parity in the Indian subcontinent by conducting its own series of atomic tests (Chagai-I) later that same month. These tests drew widespread condemnation and economic sanctions from the international community, with many fearing that escalating conflicts could potentially lead to a nuclear war.

Negotiations

In 1998, the foreign ministries of India and Pakistan began initiating a peace process aimed at alleviating tensions in the region. On September 23, 1998, both governments signed an agreement that acknowledged the importance of creating an environment of peace and security, committing to resolve all bilateral conflicts. This agreement laid the groundwork for the Lahore Declaration. Subsequently, on February 11, 1999, the Pakistan Foreign Office announced the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which was facilitated by the inaugural bus service between the two countries, symbolizing a significant step towards improved relations.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee received a warm welcome upon his arrival at Wagah via the inaugural bus service connecting New Delhi and Lahore. He was greeted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan Army provided a guard of honor for him. This visit marked a significant moment in history, as it established a crucial transport link between the Indian capital and the major Pakistani city of Lahore, facilitating greater connection between the two nations' peoples. The bus also carried notable Indian figures, including celebrities and dignitaries like Dev Anand, Satish Gujral, Javed Akhtar, Kuldip Nayar, Kapil Dev, Shatrughan Sinha, and Mallika Sarabhai. Vajpayee's reception at the Wagah border was filled with excitement and media attention, especially considering that he and Nawaz Sharif had been in conflict just a year earlier over nuclear tests. This summit was recognised globally as a significant breakthrough in improving bilateral relations and a historic step towards reducing conflict and tensions in the region.

Drafting and Signatures

The Lahore Declaration is a significant treaty that follows the 1988 NNAA Treaty and the 1972 Shimla Treaty. After the two Prime Ministers signed the agreement, the foreign secretaries of Pakistan, Shamshad Ahmad, and India, K. Raghunath, formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 21, 1999. This MoU outlined measures designed to foster an environment of peace and security between the two nations. It also reaffirmed the ongoing commitment of both governments to the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.

The MoU emphasised both countries' commitment to fully implementing the Shimla Agreement. It stated that creating an environment of peace and security aligns with the national interests of both nations and that resolving all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, is crucial for achieving this goal. Following the signing of the treaties, the parliaments of both countries swiftly ratified and approved them.

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. 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. 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. Its important inter alia stated:

• Recognizes that the nuclear dimension of the security environment of the two countries adds to their responsibility for avoidance of conflict between them.
• Commits both to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, and the universally accepted principles of peaceful co-existence.
• Commits both countries to the objectives of universal nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.

The Lahore Declaration and the MoU incorporated a joint commitment to intensify efforts to resolve the Kashmir conflict and other dispute, to enhance bilateral dialogue and to implement nuclear safeguards and measures to prevent conflict. Both governments condemned terrorism and committed to non-interference in each other's internal affairs and the objectives of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation and promote human rights.

In the joint statement issued after the conclusion of the summit, both governments said that their foreign ministers would meet periodically and consult each other on issues pertaining to the World Trade Organization and information technology. A two-member ministerial committee was to be established to investigate human rights issues, civilian detainees and missing prisoners of war. The Indian Prime Minister thanked his Pakistani counterpart and issued an invitation for a future summit in India.

Public debates and Reactions

Pakistan public and media opinion

Main article: News channels in Pakistan

The Lahore treaty was very popular in Pakistan's civil society sphere. The general population polls were widely welcomed this move by the Nawaz Sharif Government to normalise relations with India. The news channels, television outlets, and print media widely hailed this move by the Government of Nawaz Sharif to normalise relations with India. Except JI, the far-right party was critical of this treaty; all major political forces in Pakistan, including PPP, hailed and congratulated Nawaz Sharif for successfully reaching the Lahore treaty.

However, it was speculated in the Indian news media that many in Pakistan military did not approve of the treaty and consequently worked to subvert it and escalate tensions between the two nations. The reception for Vajpayee, described as the leader of an "enemy-combatant nation," was boycotted by the chiefs of Pakistan military, and those included the Chairman joint chiefs and army chief General Pervez Musharaff, air chief ACM PQ Mehdi and naval chief Admiral Fasih Bokhari.

Indian public and media opinion

Main article: News channels in india

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. The initiative bolstered the popularity of the Vajpayee government in India, cementing his standing as a statesman.

Aftermath and status

The relations between the two nations were completely transformed at the outbreak of the Kargil War in May 1999, following the sudden revelation that Pakistani soldiers had infiltrated into Indian Administered Kashmir; the Indian Army was deployed to evict the Pakistan army soldiers and retake capture the disputed territory. 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. 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.

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, to power, thus exacerbating doubts over the future of the relations between the two nations. 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.