The Pakistani flag has been removed from the historic table at Raj Bhavan in Shimla where the Simla Accord was signed, a day after Pakistan suspended the 1972 agreement. The suspension came in response to India's retaliatory actions following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The Simla Accord, signed by Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, aimed to settle issues bilaterally and maintain peace at the Line of Control. However, Pakistan's frequent violations of the agreement have led to its suspension, raising concerns about the future of India-Pakistan relations.
As per the Simla Agreement, all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan should be treated as bilateral ones, while the Hurriyat has been insisting that it be made a party to talks to resolve the Kashmir problem.
The delayed timing of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's admission has more to do with deflecting the thrust of the Opposition attack on the prime minister and Union home minister during the monsoon session of Parliament, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
'Will this near-war, India's strongest military response so far, buy India another seven years of deterrence?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
'Had Haji Pir and/or Skardu been taken, the message would have gone out not just to General Asim Munir and his cohort in the Pakistan army but to the Pakistani people that every terrorist incident in India would lead to substantial loss of territory in PoK.'
'Both the countries have signed this agreement to resolve all their disputes bilaterally,' Fazal-ur Rehman said.
The resolution condemns additional Chinese provocations, including China's use of military force to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control, construction of villages in contested areas, publication of maps with Mandarin-language names for cities and features in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and expansion of Beijing's territorial claims in Bhutan.
'Article 370 laid down the edifice of the relationship between J-K and the Union of India.' 'If you look at the Article, what is there now is a provision which states that all provisions of the Constitution of India applies to J-K.' 'The veto that the state could exercise previously on most Union laws has ended.'
December 3, 2021 marks 50 years since the beginning of the 1971 War which ended in a decisive military victory for India and the liberation of Bangladesh. Most analysts of the 1971 War agree that the IV Corps dash across the mighty Meghna river led by the brilliant General Sagat Singh was the turning point in the war, recalls military historian Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
While expressing optimism over the talks, the Pakistani foreign minister said the Simla accord does not exclude the "international character" of Kashmir.
The external affairs minister blamed Vajpayee for the Kargil crisis.
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Ruling out any third party intervention on the Kashmir issue, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor said had Pakistan acted in the spirit of the Simla accord the question of external mediation would not have come up.
Any settlement with Pakistan won't last unless it comes with big power guarantees, says Shekhar Gupta.
Imran said the previous Pakistani governments "should not have pledged what they could not deliver."
'Indira Gandhi and P N Haksar did not want Pakistan to leave as an embittered foe hell-bent on taking revenge for being humiliated so comprehensively.'
'The Kashmir issue has become internationalised after nearly half a century.' 'India, not Pakistan, has done so pro-actively,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Sticking to its stand that McMahon Line on India-China boundary is "illegal", China on Monday said it is ready to work with India to resolve the vexed border issue at an early date through "friendly consultations" to create more favourable conditions for bilateral ties.
The International Court of Justice was last a battleground for India and Pakistan nearly 18 years ago.
'It would be too sweeping to say that the elites and the middle-class don't care about liberty.' 'It is just that they are always calculating the trade-offs: What's in it for me, what could it cost me?' 'To that extent, we haven't changed in 40 years,' says Shekhar Gupta.
As of now, in the case of China's border dispute with India, China is not likely to lose much if it does not resolve the dispute. In fact, the unresolved border dispute has much to offer to China, says Sana Hashmi.
'Those who have followed politics even when there was no Twitter know what the word 'jumlebaaz' means,' says Utkarsh Mishra.
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