 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 | Strategicnucleargovernance, control, and law |
|---|---|
| Drafted | 19 December 1998 – 19 January 1999 (1 month) |
| Signed | 21 February 1999; 26 years ago (1999-02-21) |
| Location | Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan |
| Effective | 21 February 1999 (1999-02-21) |
| Condition | Ratification of both parties |
| Expiration | none (in effect) |
| Negotiators | |
| Signatories | |
| Parties |  India Pakistan |
| Ratifiers | Parliament of India Parliament of Pakistan |
| Languages | English |
TheLahore Declaration was abilateral agreement and governance treaty signed betweenIndia andPakistan on 21 February 1999 inLahore, the capital ofPunjab, Pakistan. The signing of the declaration took place at the conclusion of a historic summit in Lahore, and was ratified by the parliaments of both countries the same year.[1]
Under the terms of the treaty, a mutual understanding was reached towards the development of atomic arsenals and to avoid accidental and unauthorised operational use of nuclear weapons. The Lahore Declaration brought added responsibility to both nations' leadership towards avoidingnuclear race, as well as both non-conventional and conventional conflicts. This event was significant in the history of Pakistan and it provided both countries an environment of mutualconfidence. In a much-covered televised press conference in both countries, Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif and Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee signed the treaty. It was the second nuclear control treaty signed by both countries and pledged to continue the use of the first treaty,NNAA, was signed in 1988. The Lahore treaty was quickly ratified by the parliaments ofIndia andPakistan and came into force the same year.
The Lahore Declaration signalled a major breakthrough in overcoming thehistorically strainedbilateral relations between thetwo nations in the aftermath of the publicly performedatomic tests carried out by both nations in May 1998. Widely popular in the public circles in Pakistan and hailed by theinternational community, the relations would very soon lose impetus after infiltration of Pakistan forces into Kargil, which led to the outbreak of the1999 Indo-Pakistan War in May 1999.
The Lahore treaty was one of the most important and historical treaties of India and Pakistan to normalise the relations to ease up the military tensions in South Asia. In 1972, theSimla Treaty was acceded to establish peaceful relations in the aftermath of thewar in 1971 and committed both nations to resolving bilateral disputes by peaceful dialogue and co-operation. In 1978, Pakistan made a proposal to limit thenuclear race between two countries and to establish South Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SANWFZ), for which negotiations were never concluded.
In 1988, Pakistan and India reached an important understanding towards controlling the nuclear weapons, and signed theNNAA treaty. Despite many proposals, the nuclear race continued and the cold war had been heightened over the issue ofKashmir. The domestic pressure and the increasingly political momentum made India conduct nuclear tests (see:Operation Shakti) in May 1998, in spite of international pressure. Responding to India's test, Pakistan equalised the nuclear magnitude in South Asia after performing its own series of atomic tests, (see:Chagai-I), all at the end of the month of May 1998.[2] The tests invited condemnation and economic sanctions on both countries and many in the international community fear that in wake of intensified conflict, it could lead to anuclear war.
In 1998, the Foreign ministries of both countries had been initiating peace process to ease up the tension in the region. On 23 September 1998 both governments signed an agreement recognising the principle of building an environment of peace and security and resolving all bilateral conflicts, which became the basis of the Lahore Declaration.[1] On 11 February 1999, the PakistanForeign Office announced the state visit of Indian Prime ministerAtal Bihari Vajpayee aboard the maiden bus service between the two countries.[3]
Before the arrival of Indian Prime Minister, a warm welcome awaited Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee when he arrived at Wagah by the inaugural bus service between New Delhi and Lahore.[4] He was received by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the units ofPakistan Army gave the Indian Prime minister aguard of honour.[4] It embarked on a historic visit to Pakistan, travelling on theinaugural bus service connecting the Indian capital of New Delhi with the major Pakistani city ofLahore, establishing a major transport link for the peoples of both nations.[4] The inaugural bus also carried Indian celebrities and dignitaries such asDev Anand,Satish Gujral,Javed Akhtar,Kuldip Nayar,Kapil Dev,Shatrughan Sinha andMallika Sarabhai.[5] He was received amidst great fanfare and media attention at the Pakistani border post ofWagah by Pakistan Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, with whom he had been at loggerheads a year before over the nuclear tests controversy. The summit was hailed worldwide as a major breakthrough and milestone in bilateral relations and a historic step towards ending conflict and tensions in the region.[5]
The Lahore declaration is one notable treaty after the 1988NNAA treaty and the 1972Shimla Treaty.[6] After the two Prime ministers signed the agreement, the foreign secretaries ofPakistanShamshad Ahmad andIndia K. Raghunath signed anMoU on 21 February 1999, identifying measures aimed at promoting an environment of peace and security between the two countries.[6] The MOU reaffirmed the continued commitment of their respective governments to the principles and purposes of theUN Charter.[6]
The MoU reiterated the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement in letter and spirit; and that an environment of peace and security is in the national interest of both countries and that resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, is essential for this purpose.[6] The parliaments of both countries quickly ratified and acceded the treaties following the signatures.[6]
The Lahore Declaration was signed on 21 February along with amemorandum of understanding (MoU) after three rounds of talks between the Indian and Pakistani leaders.[1][7] In its content, both governments asserted their commitment to the vision of peace, stability and mutual progress and their full commitment to theSimla Agreement and theUN 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 ofConfidence-building measures, especially to avoid accidental and unauthorised use of nuclear weapons.[1][7] India and Pakistan also decided to give each other advance notification ofballistic missile flight tests and accidental or unexplained use of nuclear weapons to avoid the outbreak of a nuclear conflict.[7] Its importantinter alia stated:
The Lahore Declaration and the MoU incorporated a joint commitment to intensify efforts to resolve theKashmir 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 theSouth Asia Association for Regional Cooperation and promote human rights.[1]
In the joint statement issued after the conclusion of the summit, both governments said that theirforeign ministers would meet periodically and consult each other on issues pertaining to theWorld Trade Organization and information technology.[6] A two-member ministerial committee was to be established to investigate human rights issues, civilian detainees and missingprisoners of war. The Indian Prime Minister thanked his Pakistani counterpart and issued an invitation for a future summit in India.[1]
The Lahore treaty was very popular in Pakistan'scivil society sphere.[4][9] The general population polls widely welcomed this move by the Nawaz Sharif Government to normalise relations with India.[9] The news channels, television outlets, and print media widely hailed this move by the Government of Nawaz Sharif to normalise relations with India. ExceptJI, the far-rightparty was critical of this treaty; all major political forces in Pakistan, includingPPP, hailed and congratulated Nawaz Sharif for successfully reaching the Lahore treaty.[4][9]
However, it was speculated in the Indian news media that many inPakistan military did not approve of the treaty and consequently worked to subvert it and escalate tensions between the two nations.[10] The reception for Vajpayee, described as the leader of an "enemy-combatant nation," was boycotted by the chiefs of Pakistan military, and those included theChairman joint chiefs andarmy chief GeneralPervez Musharaff,air chiefACMPQ Mehdi andnaval chief AdmiralFasih Bokhari.[11]
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.[5] The initiative bolstered the popularity of the Vajpayee government in India, cementing his standing as a statesman.[5]
The relations between the two nations were completely transformed at the outbreak of theKargil War in May 1999, following the sudden revelation that Pakistani soldiers had infiltrated into Kashmir;[12][13] theIndian Army was deployed to evict the Pakistan army soldiers and re-capture the disputed territory.[12] 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.[6][9] 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.[9]
The conflict was followed by anAtlantique incident in which theIndian Air Force intercepted and shot down thePakistan Navy's reconnaissance aircraft; a total of eleven naval personnel were killed. After months of contentious relations with the military and judiciary, amilitary coup d'état was staged byPakistan 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,[13] to power, thus exacerbating doubts over the future of the relations between the two nations.[13] 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.[6]
