Shahbaz: Simla pact a mistake

Lahore, September 30

Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday termed the Simla Agreement signed by India and Pakistan after the 1971 war a “big mistake” as it “hurt the Kashmiri freedom struggle”.

Shahbaz is the brother of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. His statement evoked sharp criticism from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), whose then chairman and Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his Indian counterpart Indira Gandhi signed the pact in 1972. “Someone should teach the CM what foreign policy is,” tweeted PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The agreement resulted in the release of some 90,000 Pakistani soldiers imprisoned by India following the 1971 war. — IANS