India & Pakistan Renounce Force

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30955, 11 January 1966, Page 11

India & Pakistan Renounce Force

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) TASHKENT, January 10. India and Pakistan today pledged to renounce the use of force to settle their disputes, and said they would withdraw their troops from each other’s territory by February 25.

A nine-point “Tashkent declaration” adopted after weeklong talks said the troops would be pulled back to positions they occupied on August 5, before the two armies fought a 22-day war over Kashmir.

The Indian and Pakistani leaders also agreed to send their High Commissioners hack to each other’s capitals.

The diplomats were withdrawn during the fighting.

The declaration was signed by the Pakistan President. Mohammad Ayub Khan, and Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri. India’s Prime Minister, at the successful end of summit talks which several times bogged down in virtual deadlock

They agreed to meet again at summit level, and to set up machinery to work out other steps to improve their

!relations after 18 years of ten- ( sion I The declaration said the! two leaders would instruct military commanders to begin repatriating war prison ! ers. I President Ayub and Mr Shastri reaffirmed “their obligation under the (United Nations) Charter not to have recourse to force and to settle their disputes through peaceful means. ’ They declared “their firm resolve to restore normal and peaceful relations between their countries and to

promote understanding and friendly relations between their peoples.” The two leaders “have agreed that both sides will discourage any propaganda directed against the other country, and will encourage propaganda which promotes the development of friendly relations between the two countries.” i They “agreed that relations between India and Pakistan shall be based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of each other.”