16/05/2020 - History

KEY POINTS

A landmark agreement

·         The Liaquat–Nehru Pact was a bilateral treaty between India and Pakistan, where refugees were allowed to return to dispose of their property, abducted women and looted property were to be returned, forced conversions were unrecognized, and minority rights were confirmed.

·         The need for such a pact was felt by minorities in both countries following Partition, which was accompanied by massive communal rioting.

·         In 1950, as per some estimates, over a million Hindus and Muslims migrated from and to East Pakistan amid communal tension and riots such as the 1950 East Pakistan riots and the Noakhali riots.

Frame work of international relations

·          This period saw India and Pakistan facilitating a transfer of populations, rationalising bilateral relations after the violence of Partition, sorting out canal-water issues and evacuee property disputes without the venom you see between them today.

·          Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted a no-war pact with Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. The mere fact that it was actually discussed measures for us the “normal” goodwill that existed despite the years of quarrelling during the Pakistan Movement.

·          The most remarkable achievement was the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 India did extract from it the advantage of using some water from Pakistan’s three “exclusive” western rivers, Sindh, Chenab and Jhelum, for consumptive use, that is, agriculture.

Recently Home minister has made reference to Nehru Liaqat Pact (NLP) several times in the parliament during the discussion of Citizen Amendment Act(CAA)

NLP was signed between the then prime minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru and his counter part from Pakistan. It was signed Just after Independence of India in 1950. It was signed in the background of the communal partition of India and Pakistan.

Some of the provision were:

1. Safeguard to the minorities of each other countries basically Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India.

2. Settlement of property suits of those people who left their property in hast due to partition.

NLP then became one of the landmark agreement for India not only while dealing with Pakistan but also other nation. For example :

a) Invention of Panchsheeel : Panch Sheel is the Agreement between India and China signed after Chines aggression, it also contain provisions like non interference and respecting each other sovereignty.

b) Non Align Movement : NLM which still persist has its roots in NLP, which reflects in non interference clause and neutrality of NLM.

c) Freedom of East Pakistan: India played a decisive roll in the liberation of Bangladesh while maintaining good relation with the small neighbour. This was done because west Pakistan was not respecting East Pakistan interest.

d) During Srilankan Civil War : India has a great say in protecting Tamilian interest in Srilanka and formulating Article 13 of srilankan constitution.

e) Afghanistan viewpoint : India is not in favour of Taliban led government in Afghanistan because Taliban is infamous for its attitude towards minorities and women's. 

f) Palestine issue: India maintains its views of two nation theory while maintaining balance between Israel and Palestine. It supports the interest of Palestine.

however recent  CAA protests and Delhi Communal violence has diluted  India's firmness on NLP

a) US led Freedom of Religion has placed India into watch list. 

b) UNHRC has also criticised India's high handiness in Kashmir and police action.

c)  India has been loosed its position in Democracy Index and Press Freedom index.

d) China has several time criticised India for giving shelter to Dalai Lama. 

NLP has shaped India's foreign policy, India has maintained its stand on it  while becoming more dynamic. India needs to play a larger roll in the polarising world with NAM and other global initiative.

 The Nehru-Liaquat Pact, also known as the Delhi Pact, was a bilateral treaty signed in 1950, between the two South-Asian states of India and Pakistan.

It was a declaration binding the two states to protect “the interests of minorities in both their countries”. 

The agreement was signed in the backdrop of large scale migration of people belonging to minority communities between the two countries, in the wake of attacks by the majority communities in their respective territories.

>>> Arguments in favor of the pact :

- Under the pact, both the countries agreed to provide and protect minority rights including political, cultural and economic rights like;

*complete equality of citizenship irrespective of religion,

* freedom of movements within each country,

* freedom of occupation, speech and worship, etc.

- Both govts declared these rights to be fundamental and agreed to take suitable measures to enforce them effectively.

- Setting up of "Commission of Enquiry" to look into the causes of disturbances and to suggest measures to prevent them in future.

- Refugees were allowed to return unmolested and unharmed to dispose of their property.

- Measures were taken for safe return of abducted women and recovery of  looted property

- Forced conversions were unrecognised.

>>> Arguments against the pact :

- This pact was signed with the aim to avert the situation of war and conflict between the two, but it failed to attain that aim and the present status between the two is an example for that.

- Had the spirit of the pact been followed by Pakistan, there would be no need to bring an act like Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA),2019.

Though in India, the rights and security of the minorities have been continuously and effectively safeguarded, Pakistan has persistently contravened the provisions of the Pact through consistent neglect and harassment of the members of the minority community.

>>> Conclusion :

 Nehru-Liaquat pact  define the Indo-Pakistani relationship as one that could be negotiated in inherited frameworks of international relations based  on the paramount capacity of the nation state.

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