India-Pakistan Relations
International Relations · भारत-पाकिस्तान संबंध
📋Quick Overview
India-Pakistan relations since independence in 1947 have been defined by partition trauma, four wars (1947, 1965, 1971, 1999), terrorism, nuclear competition, and failed peace attempts. The two nations share a 3,323-km border and a troubled history — from the Indus Waters Treaty (1960) to the Kargil War (1999), from the Lahore Declaration (1999) to the Balakot Airstrikes (2019). The dispute over Kashmir remains the core unresolved issue.
Balakot Airstrikes (February 26, 2019) — the Indian Air Force struck the Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot, KPK province, Pakistan. This was the first IAF airstrike inside Pakistan's territory since the 1971 war — a landmark cross-border counter-terrorism action.
📖Key Agreements & Treaties
| Agreement | Year | Key Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Indus Waters Treaty | 1960 | World Bank mediated; India gets Ravi + Beas + Sutlej (eastern rivers); Pakistan gets Jhelum + Chenab + Indus (western rivers); still in force |
| Simla Agreement | 1972 | PM Indira Gandhi + Bhutto (Pakistan PM); bilateral resolution of disputes; LoC formalized; no UN mediation; return of POWs |
| Lahore Declaration | 1999 | PM Vajpayee's bus trip to Lahore + met Nawaz Sharif; Samjhauta Express launched; peace overture — soon overtaken by Kargil War |
| Agra Summit | 2001 | Vajpayee + Musharraf summit in Agra; failed — no joint declaration signed |
| Ufa Declaration | 2015 | Modi + Nawaz Sharif at Ufa (Russia) — NSA talks agreed; quickly collapsed over format dispute |
📖Military Actions & Key Events
- •Kargil War (May–July 1999): Pakistan Army + militants occupied mountain peaks on Indian side of LoC in Kargil; Operation Vijay — India recaptured all peaks; Zojila opened
- •Uri Attack (Sept 18, 2016): Terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri (J&K) — 19 soldiers killed; led to Surgical Strike response
- •Surgical Strike (Sept 29, 2016): Indian Army crossed LoC, struck 7 terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK)
- •Pulwama Attack (Feb 14, 2019): CRPF convoy bombed in Pulwama — 40 CRPF personnel killed; Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed; led to Balakot Airstrikes
- •Balakot Airstrikes (Feb 26, 2019): IAF Mirage 2000 jets struck JeM camp at Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (well inside Pakistan proper)
- •India sent Pakistan 'Most Favoured Nation' (MFN) status in 1996 — Pakistan never reciprocated; India revoked after Pulwama (2019)