Indo-Pak Summits: A Profile

27 Jun, 2001    ·   514

Suba Chandran gives a profile of Indo-Pak summits since Simla Agreement

D Suba Chandran
D Suba Chandran
 Director
Ever since the Simla Agreement, there only have been two bilateral summits at the Prime Ministerial level between India and Pakistan . The first was between Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto in Islamabad in December 1988, when Rajiv visited Pakistan . The second summit took place a decade later, between Nawaz Sharif and Atal Behari Vajpayee in Lahore in February 1999.

 

 

However, there have been a number of meetings between the Prime Minister/President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India, which took place at various multi-lateral forums, both at the regional and global levels. Most of these meetings were unproductive with both the leaders reiterating the same positions taken by their respective governments; some of these meetings were very productive.

 

 

A short history of the various meetings between the leaders of India and Pakistan during the post-Simla period is as follows:

 

 

Zia-Desai Meeting, Nairobi , 31 August 1978

 

 

The Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq and Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai met in Nairobi , when both were attending the funeral of President Jomo Kenyatta. Though it was expected that the Zia-Desai meeting would lead to a normalization of relations between the two countries, there were no significant change in the relations.

 

 

Zia-Indira Gandhi Meeting, New Delhi , 01 November 1982

 

 

Zia met Indira Gandhi in New Delhi when he was returning back from his trip to South East Asia . Both leaders met each other at a crucial time. The Afghan war was at its peak and both the superpowers were involved.  Besides, the meeting took place in the aftermath of both countries submitting their own proposals for normalizing their relations.

 

 

Pakistan , with the conflict in Afghanistan intensifying, came out with a suggestion in April 1981, emphasizing “Mutual guarantees of non-aggression and non-use of force, in the spirit of the Simla Agreement.” These non-aggression proposals were formally presented to the Indian Government during in 1981. After incorporating some suggestions from the Indian side ( India proposed a “seven point aide-memoire, detailing additional elements) Pakistan made the revised proposal on non-aggression in June 1982.

 

 

India , at this juncture proposed a “Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation” in August 1982, instead of a non-aggression pact between the two countries. Zia and Indira Gandhi, met each other against this backdrop.

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting: The meeting resulted in both leaders taking two decisions. First, to form a Joint Commission to discuss bilateral issues and the second to continue the discussions on the two peace proposals.

 

 

Follow Up: The Foreign Secretaries of both countries met on 22-24 December 1982, to discuss these two issues. However, no agreements were reached due to the following reasons. Firstly, Pakistan was not willing to extend the provisions of these proposals to Jammu and Kashmir . Secondly, there were differences of opinion between the two on what constitute “territorial integrity” of India . Thirdly, Pakistan disagreed with India on the question of foreign military bases in its soil.

 

 

Zia-Indira Gandhi Meeting, New Delhi , 10 March 1983

 

 

Zia met Indira Gandhi, when he came to attend the NAM Conference.

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting: A Joint Commission was established, to discuss the various issues between India and Pakistan .

 

 

Follow Up: The first meeting of the Joint Commission took place in Pakistan on 04 June 1983, which was co-chaired by Narasimha Rao, the then External Affairs Minister of India . The proposals made by India and Pakistan were discussed in the meeting. It was decided to form Sub-Commissions under the Joint Commission on Economic Relations, Information, Education, Travel, and Tourism.

 

 

Meetings between Rajiv Gandhi and Zia-ul-Haq

 

 

Zia and Rajiv Gandhi met each other at various locations on various occasions. The first was in New Delhi during the funeral of Indira Gandhi on 01 November 1981. Besides they met each other on 13 March 1985 during the funeral of Konstantin Chernenko (luckily there were no major discussions during these meetings, otherwise this would have been termed “Funeral Diplomacy”); New York in October 1985, when both were attending the 40th session of the UN General Assembly; Dhaka on 07 December 1985, when thry were attending the First SAARC summit; and New Delhi on 17 December 1985, when Zia was returning back to Pakistan after his visit to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

 

 

There were no major decisions reached, nor were there any significant follow ups of these meetings.

 

 

Rajiv Gandhi-Benazir Bhutto Meeting, Islamabad , December 1988

 

 

The first meeting between the two leaders took place in December 1988, when Rajiv Gandhi went to Islamabad to attend the SAARC summit.

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting: The summit resulted in three bilateral agreements.

 

 

a. Prohibition of attack on each other’s nuclear installations and facilities

 

 

b. Cultural Co-operation; and

 

 

c. Avoidance of double taxation on incomes derived from international civil aviation transactions.

 

 

Rajiv Gandhi-Benazir Bhutto, The First Bilateral Summit since the Simla Agreement,  16-17, July 1989

 

 

The 1989 July summit was the first ever summit between the leaders of Pakistan and India , after the Simla agreement. However, this summit did not result in any major breakthrough. Rajiv Gandhi was facing serious problems internally in the aftermath of the Bofors scandal and Benazir Bhutto was under pressure from the Pakistani Army and the hardliners.

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting: In the Joint communiqué both the leaders expressed their desire to work toward a comprehensive settlement to reduce the chances of conflict and avoidance of the use of force.

 

 

Chandrashekar-Nawaz Sharif Meeting, Male, 21-23 November 1990

 

 

Chandrashekar and Nawaz Sharif met during the SAARC summit in Male, in which it was decided to set up an additional hotline between the two leaders. 

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting: Nawaz Sharif later on 29 November 1990, used the hotline, and it was decided to resume the Foreign Secretary level talks between the two countries. 

 

 

Follow Up: The third level of Foreign Secretary level talks took place on 18-20 December 1990, as a result of the discussions between the two leaders. It was agreed to evolve a “bilateral code of conduct on treatment of diplomats.”

 

 

Narasimha Rao-Nawaz Sharif Meetings

 

 

Nawaz Sharif and Narasimha Rao met each other in Harare on 17 October 1991; during November 1991 at a SAARC summit; in Rio de Janeiro on 14 June 1992; and the NAM summit in Jakarta on 03 September 1992. However, these meetings did not result in any major breakthrough, the main reason being the increase of insurgency and terrorist activities in Kashmir and Pakistan ’s role in its support.

 

 

Gujral-Nawaz Sharif Meeting, Male, 12 May 1997

 

 

A Gujral-Sharif meeting occurred during the SAARC summit in Male, which was the most significant meeting between the leaders of the two countries after the 1988 meeting between Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto.

 

 

Outcome of the meeting: Both leaders decided to reactivate the hotline. They also decided to constitute working groups on various issues between India and Pakistan . Thirdly and most importantly, Nawaz Sharif agreed for an “intergrated approach”, instead of focusing merely on Kashmir .

 

 

Follow Up: Two rounds of talks at the Foreign Secretary level were held, which resulted in the formation of Joint Working Groups to discuss issues like Kashmir, Peace and Security, Siachen, Wullar Barrage, Sir Creek, Terrorism and Drug Trafficking, Economic Cooperation, and Promotion of friendly exchanges. However, this momentum was lost during the talks held in Septemebr 1997, when Pakistan insisted on making Kashmir the “core issue.”

 

 

Gujral-Nawaz Sharif Meetings, September 1997, October 1997 and January 1998

 

 

Both leaders met again at various multi lateral meetings in New York , Edinburgh and at Dhaka . There were no significant developments during these meetings.

 

 

Atal Behari Vajpayee – Nawaz Sharif Summit , February 1999

 

 

The Lahore summit was the second bilateral meeting after Simla agreement. 

 

 

Outcome of the Meeting – Lahore Declaration: It was decided at the end of the meeting that “an environment of peace and security is in the supreme national interest of both sides and that the resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir is essential for the purpose.” Both sides also decided to “intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir .” Besides, both governments agreed to “refrain from intervention and interference in each other’s internal affairs”; to “intensify their composite and integrated dialogue process for an early and positive outcome of the bilateral agenda”; to “take immediate steps for reducing the risk of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons”; and to condemn terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations.”

 

 

Follow Up: The Lahore declaration and the subsequent MoU signed by the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan did not make any progress due to the Kargil war initiated by Pakistan .

 

 

 

 

 

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