Lahore Declaration

Lahore Declaration

The Lahore Declaration was a bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan signed on February 21, 1999 by the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. It was the first major political agreement since the Simla Agreement in 1972 which aimed to establish peaceful relations in the aftermath of the Indo- Pakistan War of 1971. However tensions escalated once again when India conducted nuclear tests in 1998, establishing itself as a nuclear weapon’s power. Pakistan responded with its own nuclear tests bringing the spectrum of nuclear conflict to South Asia. The Lahore Declaration was based on the principle of building an environment of peace and security and was signed along with a memorandum of understanding after three rounds of talks between Indian and Pakistani leaders. The Lahore Declaration incorporated a joint commitment to intensify efforts to resolve the Kashmir conflict and other disputes, to enhance bilateral dialogue and to implement nuclear safeguards and measures to prevent conflict. Both nations also agreed to promote human rights and condemn terrorism

The declaration was received positively in both India and Pakistan. The initiative bolstered the popularity of Vajpayee in India. However, the military chiefs headed by Pervez Musharraf boycotted the event. The relations between the two nations were completely changed during the Kargil conflict of 1999. It was revealed that Pakistani insurgents had infiltrated Indian administered Kashmir and Indian troops were deployed to evict the insurgents and recapture Indian Territory. The conflict lasted two months, during which many lives were taken. The military coup that followed saw General Musharaff overthrowing Sharif, thus exacerbating doubts over the future of the relations between the two nations.