Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, has declared the 1972 “dead” Simla Agreement in the current geopolitical context, stating that Pakistan has effectively returned to the 1948 position with respect to Kashmir, and the control line (LOC) must now be seen as a high heat line.
In an interview with a private television channel on Wednesday, the minister said that although Simla’s agreement had initially committed both India and Pakistan to resolve bilateral disputes, that framework had collapsed due to unilateral Indian actions in recent years.
“Simla’s agreement is now a dead document. We return to the position of 1948, when the United Nations declared the high line of Loc A after the high fire and resolutions,” he said, referring to the cessation of hostilities not mediated in the First War of India-Pakistan. “In the future, these disputes will be treated multilaterally or internationally.”
He also questioned the state of other bilateral arrangements, stating that “whether the Indo Water Treaty is suspended or not, Simla has already ended.”
When commenting on regional tensions, Asif said that the threat of war with India remains present. “Pakistan does not want war, but if we are imposed, the answer will be even stronger than before,” he warned.
The minister touched the developments after the conflict, stating that Pakistan had emerged as a defensive power strengthened after his past wars with India. “We have become a defensive force. The orders for our combat planes JF-17 Thunder are coming,” he said, highlighting Pakistan’s growing defense capabilities.
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On the issue of Afghan refugees, Asif reiterated that Afghans should now return to their homeland. “Afghans must be established in their own country. They have no loyalty to our soil,” he said, adding that the time had come to address this problem firmly.
The Minister of Defense also highlighted the issue of tax evasion in the country, emphasizing that billions of rupees are lost due to tax robbery annually. “We must connect this leak and divert these funds to the national defense,” he concluded.
