ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that if the Simla Agreement collapses, the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan would lose its legal standing and revert to a mere ceasefire line, underscoring the agreement’s foundational role in maintaining the current border status.
Asif sharply criticized India’s handling of recent military tensions, accusing New Delhi of arrogance and attempting to conceal its strategic missteps.
“India is desperate not to appear as though it initiated the ceasefire. Its arrogance has been ground into dust,” he said, adding that Indian media spun the conflict into a cinematic fantasy, spreading what he described as a “market of lies.”
Asif emphasized that the LoC exists solely because of the Simla Agreement, signed in 1972. “If the Simla Accord falls apart, there will be no Line of Control — only a ceasefire line, as before,” he stated.
The defence minister also accused India’s leadership of succumbing to U.S. pressure, suggesting that Delhi’s eventual participation in the ceasefire was influenced by international diplomacy rather than military dominance.
Mocking India’s response to the recent aerial incidents, Asif remarked: “The world has the Rafale’s tail number, yet India continues to claim it was only drones.”
Reflecting on Pakistan’s military history, Asif expressed regret over the country’s involvement in past conflicts: “It’s our misfortune that we engaged in two wars that weren’t ours. Both were the result of dictatorial decisions.”
He also took aim at former President Pervez Musharraf, accusing him of making unnecessary concessions and detaining innocent individuals under foreign influence.
Asif’s remarks come amid escalating tensions and renewed scrutiny of the fragile peace framework between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
