14-05-2025
HT This Day: May 15, 1976 -- India, Pakistan to exchange ambassadors
Islamabad: India and Pakistan have agreed to re-establish full diplomatic relations between their countries snapped by Pakistan in December 1971 in the wake of India's recognition of Bangladesh.
They agreed that each country should be represented by an Ambassador with supporting staff in the capital of the other country.
The two countries also agreed to resume overflights suspended since the hijacking and subsequent blowing up of an Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship plane in Lahore.
This was disclosed in a joint statement issued today at - the conclusion of the three days of talks between the Pakistan Government and an Indian delegation led by the Foreign Secretary, Mr Jagat S. Mehta. T
hey also agreed to resume goods and passenger traffic by rail through the Wagah-Attari border.
At a joint Press conference after the talks, Mr Mehta and Foreign Secretary Agha Shahi, who led the Pakistan delegation, said that all agreements reached during the talks 'would be implemented in a very short time.'
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were broken off by President Yahya Khan on Dec. 6, 1971, in the wake of India's recognition of Bangladesh.
Question of airlinks and overflights had defied a solution during two rounds of talks held between the two countries in November 1974 in Islamabad and in New Delhi, in May 1975 because of Pakistan's refusal to withdraw its case before the International Civil Aviation Organisation lodged in the wake of India's ban on overflights. India had banned overflights early in February 1971 following the hijacking and subsequent blowing up of an Indian Airlines aircraft in Lahore. T
he agreement by the two Foreign Secretaries was announced at the conclusion of the three-day talks in a joint statement which Mr Agha Shahi described as 'straight, self-explanatory and highly explicit'.
Mr Agha Shahi said they had, in fact, fixed a time limit for the simultaneous Implementation of the various agreements embodied in the joint statement. But this time limit could not be disclosed as Mr Mehta had to seek confirmation from his Government. 'He will let us know in a couple of days,' he said.
Though optimism had been expressed during the last two days of the talks, there was some uncertainty this morning following the cropping up of what Mr Agha Shahi had described as 'delicate differences.'
Mr Agha Shahi had referred to this at a luncheon given by Mr Mehta today. The luncheon itself was delayed by over an hour as the Pakistan Foreign Secretary was apparently trying to contact the Prime Minister, Mr Bhutto who is away in Gilgit.
The joint statement was signed at 7 p.m. (IST) and this was followed by a joint Press conference by the two Foreign Secretaries. Sir Mehta told the Press conference that the agreement took into account all matters referred to in the Simla agreement.
The following in the text of the joint statement issued m Islamabad and New Delhi:
Pursuant to the letter written by Prime Minister Z. A. Bhutto on March 27 and the reply of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of April 11, the delegations of India and Pakistan met in Islamabad from May 12 to 14 with the objective of resuming normalisation of relations between the two countries as envisaged in the Simla Agreement. The discussions were held in a frank and friendly atmosphere.
Mr. J.S. Mehta, Foreign Secretary, led the Indian delegation. He was assisted by representatives of the ministries of External Affairs, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Finance Home Affairs, Railways, Shipping and Transport and Commerce. The Pakistani delegation was led by Mr Agha Shahi, Foreign Secretary. He was assisted by the representatives of the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Railways, finance, Communications, Commerce, Interior, Information and Broadcasting, Law, Aviation Division, the department of Civil Aviation, Ports and shipping and Pakistan International Airlines Corporation.
In regard to matters relating to civil aviation, the two delegations discussed the modality of withdrawing the cases anti counter claim pending before the Council of tire International Civil Aviation Organisation and agreed to send a joint letter to the council for the purpose. They further agreed to the resumption of overflights and the restoration of airlinks between the two countries. It was decided that expert delegations from the two countries will meet to work out the necessary details.
The two delegations agreed to resume goods and passenger traffic by rail through the Wagah-Attari border. In this connection the Pakistani delegation stated that the rail track on its side was already functional. The Indian delegation undertook to carry out the necessary repairs on its side as soon as possible.
The two sides recognised the advantage that would accrue to trade between the two countries with the resumption of freighting of goods by rail.
It was decided that the experts of the two countries should meet urgently to work out a detailed agreement regarding inter-change, freight rating, compensation claims, custom formalities, creation of a wagon pool and so on for the goods and passenger traffic between the two countries.
The two sides agreed to grant multiple journey visas valid for one year to the members of the railway staff operating on scheduled services along the specified route.
The two delegations agreed that goods meant for the other country could also be transported by road up to the Wagah-Attari border. For this purpose, they undertook to make necessary arrangements for the transshipment, warehousing, bonding and customs clearance.
The two delegations discussed the question of early re-establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries. They agreed that each country should be represented by an ambassador with supporting staff in the capital of the other country. In view of the problems which had been faced in the past in the functioning of their respective diplomatic missions, the two delegations reaffirmed their adherence to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, to which they were party and agreed on a basis reciprocity, to grant each other's missions all facilities and courtesies for their normal functioning.
The two delegations reviewed the working of the Indo-Pakistan Trade agreement of January 23, 1975, and the shipping protocol of January 15, 1975. They agreed that in terms of article 3 of the trade agreement, in addition to state trading organisations, the private sector be also enabled, with effect from July 15, 1976, to participate in the trade between the two countries subject to the laws, rules, regulations and procedures in force in their respective countries from time to time.
The two delegations also agreed that the joint committee envisaged under article 9 of trade agreement should be constituted immediately to review the working of that agreement and that the first meeting of the joint committee should be held at the commerce secretaries' level as soon as possible and, in any case, before the end of 1976.
The two sides decided that a further meeting of the respective ship-ping experts should be held, as early as possible, to review the protocol on shipping as provided in article 22 of that protocol.
The two delegations reviewed the existing visa agreement for regulating travel between the two countries. They noted that the arrangements envisaged in that agreement were working satisfactorily and required no change.
The two delegations discussed measures for promoting cultural and scientific exchanges as envisaged in the Simla agreement. They agreed that further discussions on these measures could be undertaken in due course.
The two sides held discussions on the question of the detenus and agreed that this humanitarian issue needed to be resolved expeditiously. They also agreed to make efforts to locate persons still untraced and re-patriate them with all possible dis-patch in accordance with the existing working arrangements.
The leader of the Indian delegation. Mr J.S. Mehta, was received by the President of the Islamic Re-public of Pakistan.
The Indian delegation warmly thanked the delegation of Pakistan for its hospitality.
