Simla Agreement to Indus Waters Treaty: List of bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan since 1947

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, India and Pakistan have announced ti-for-tat measures against each other, which has led to a derailment of the already fragile relations between the two countries. While New Delhi suspended the crucial Indus Waters Treaty, Islamabad has put in abeyance the Simla Agreement, known to be the cornerstone of ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. 

With diplomacy taking a backseat, and aggression at the border following a horrific terror attack driving the ties, here's a look at other bilateral agreements between the two countries:

1. The Karachi Agreement (1949): This agreement established ceasa efire line in Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan's Pashtun tribal militias crossed the border and entered the Kashmir valley in 1947. The agreement was mediated by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan  (UNCIP).

2. Nehru-Liaquat Pact (1950): This pact between then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's PM Liaquat Ali Khan was signed to ensure the protection of minorities in both countries. It guaranteed all rights to minorities in India and Pakistan. 

3. Tashkent Agreement (1966): This was signed after the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and was brokered by Soviet Union. This called for troops to return to pre-war positions, and reestablish diplomatic relations after the war. It also stated non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

4. Delhi Agreement (1973): The Delhi Agreement was a trilateral agreement signed between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and ratified only by India and Pakistan. It allowed the repatriation of prisoners of war and interned officials held in the three countries after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

5. Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines (1974): This protocol facilitates visits by pilgrims to religious sites across the border. It covers 15 shrines in Pakistan and five in India.

6. Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack Against Nuclear Installations (1988, effective 1991): Signed in 1988 but effective from 1991, both the nations under this agreed not to attack each other's nuclear facilities and annually share lists of nuclear installations on January 1.

7. Agreement on Prevention of Airspace Violations (1991): This agreement, signed in New Delhi, set ground rules to prevent accidental airspace breaches. It forbids military aircraft from flying within 10 km of the border and bars unauthorised entry into each other’s airspace, including over territorial waters.

8. Lahore Declaration (1999): This was signed between then India PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after both neighbours had conducted nuclear tests. It called for avoiding a nuclear conflict in the future. Under this, both the countries also agreed to notify each other of ballistic missile tests in advance.

9. LoC Ceasefire Agreement (2003): In November 2003, both countries agreed to cease hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC).

10. Agreement on Pre-Notification of Ballistic Missile Tests (2005): This agreement requires each country to give the other at least three days’ notice before testing surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. 

11. Agreement on Reducing Risk from Nuclear Accidents (2007): Effective from 2007, this agreement commits both sides to notify each other in case of a nuclear accident. The pact has been extended twice since, in 2012 and 2017.

 12. Agreement on Consular Access (2008): India and Pakistan have an Agreement on Consular Access, signed in 2008, which facilitates access for consular officials to their citizens detained in the other country. This agreement also involves the regular exchange of lists of prisoners and fishermen in each other's custody.

The Simla Agreement was signed by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistan’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on July 2, 1972. The agreement was the aftermath of the 1971 war. The agreement states that the governments of India and Pakistan are “resolved that the two countries put an end to the conflict and confrontation that have hitherto marred their relations.” It added that the two nations will “work for the promotion of a friendly and harmonious relationship and the establishment of durable peace in the sub-continent.” According to the agreement, India and Pakistan are “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them.”

India and Pakistan, in 1960, made a formal agreement, called the Indus Waters Treaty, to decide how water will be shared between the both countries from the Indus river. The need for a treaty for water sharing arose after Independence when control over the river became a point of potential conflict between the two nations.

India briefly stopped water flow to Pakistan in 1948. Later, Pakistan complained to the United Nations (UN) that India wasn't letting enough water through. The UN suggested getting help, which led to the World Bank stepping in to mediate. After almost nine years of negotiation, India's then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's then-President Ayub Khan finally signed the agreement in 1960. The treaty splits the six main rivers of the Indus system between India and Pakistan: Ravi,Beas, Sutlej to India and Indus, Chenab, Jhelum to Pakistan.