SHIMLA, April 25:— A day after Pakistan announced the suspension of the landmark Simla Accord of 1972, the Pakistani flag was notably absent Friday morning from the historic table at Raj Bhawan where the agreement was signed.
Pakistan’s decision to suspend the pact came as a response to India’s retaliatory measures following the killing of 26 tourists in a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
The Simla Accord, a pact stating the bilateral resolution of contentious issues and the maintenance of peace along the Line of Control (LoC), was inked by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the night of July 2-3, 1972.
The glossy wooden table where the accord was formalized is a central exhibit in the Kirti Hall of the Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhavan.
It rests on an elevated red platform, enclosed by brass railings, and bears a plaque stating, “Simla Agreement was signed here on 3-7-1972.” A photograph capturing Bhutto signing the agreement with Indira Gandhi seated beside him is displayed on the table, while numerous other photographs from the 1972 India-Pakistan Summit adorn the surrounding walls.
While the exact timing of the Pakistani flag’s removal remains unclear, Raj Bhavan officials confirmed Friday that the flag of the neighboring nation “is not on the table” and has been absent for some time.
A veteran journalist who covered the signing of the agreement shared with PTI on Friday that the nearly 53-year-old accord stressed the importance of resolving all disputes through bilateral discussions and upholding peace at the LoC.
“However, it was frequently violated by Pakistan, and its suspension hardly has any relevance. Even if the flag is removed, there would be no repercussions as the agreement has been flouted by Pakistan several times in the past,” the journalist stated.
The journalist, reflecting on the historical context of the agreement, opined that signing the pact at a time when India held a strong position, including agreeing to release 90,000 prisoners of war and returning 13,000 square kilometers of land captured during the war, was a significant error.
“This is the price we are paying for this blunder,” the journalist asserted, referencing the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, Pulwama, and Uri as consequences of that decision.
