India-Pakistan Relations / What was the Lahore Agreement, after breaking which Nawaz Sharif accepted his mistake after 25 years?

India-Pakistan Relations: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted that his country had violated the 1999 peace agreement with India. Nawaz Sharif said in his party meeting, 'On May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee came here and made an agreement with us. But we broke that agreement... it was our mistake.' The Indo-Pak agreement of 1999 is called the Lahore Agreement. Let us know what was that agreement, on which issues were agreed upon in it and which condition was broken by Pakistan?

The Lahore Agreement outlined peaceful relations between Pakistan and India. The then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif signed this agreement in Lahore on 21 February 1999. In the Lahore Agreement, there was agreement between the two countries on all issues ranging from Kashmir to the use of nuclear bombs.

What was the Lahore Agreement 1999?

Apart from maintaining peace and security, the Lahore Agreement emphasized on promoting people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan. It was accepted that friendly cooperation would fulfill the vital interests of the people of both countries, which would enable them to put their energy into a better future.

Nuclear power was an important issue in the Lahore Agreement. This is because in the previous year i.e. 1998, both the neighboring countries had conducted nuclear tests. Due to this, in the Lahore Agreement, India and Pakistan accepted that being nuclear powers, it is the responsibility of both of them to try to avoid mutual conflict. It was also agreed that both the countries would immediately take such steps that the possibility of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons is minimized.

Consensus reached on Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism and these issues

The then Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India accepted in the Lahore Agreement that apart from the principles and objectives of the United Nations, both the countries are also committed to follow the principles of living together in a peaceful manner. Apart from this, it was agreed that their respective governments will do the following:

• Will accelerate their efforts to resolve all pending issues including Jammu and Kashmir.
• Both will refrain from interfering in each other's internal matters.
• Will condemn all forms of terrorism and will take a firm resolve to deal with this threat.
• Will promote and protect all human rights and fundamental rights.

Who broke the Lahore Agreement?

Pakistan violated it a few days after the Lahore Agreement was signed. On the orders of Pakistan's then Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani army started infiltration in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir in March 1999. When India came to know about this infiltration, a large-scale war broke out. In a recent statement, Nawaz Sharif, in a way targeting General Pervez Musharraf for this infiltration, said, 'It was our mistake.'

In the Kargil war, both the countries remained face to face for more than 80 days. In the end, India drove the Pakistani soldiers out of the border and emerged victorious by regaining all the places. More than 500 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives while protecting their motherland. At the same time, more than 3,000 Pakistani soldiers and terrorists were killed during the war.