CONCEPT – AGRA SUMMIT

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CONCEPT – AGRA SUMMIT

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• Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace initiatives: The Agra summit was a two-day summit meeting between India and Pakistan from 14–16 July 2001. Its aim was resolving long-standing issues between the two nations.
• Reduce arms: A proposal was made to drastically reduce nuclear arsenals, and other issues involving the Kashmir dispute, and cross-border terrorism. However, no Agra treaty could ever be signed.
• 1999 initiative: Earlier in 1999, during ABV’s Pakistan visit, both countries had acceded and successfully ratified the Lahore Declaration and pledged to make joint efforts for peace and stability in South Asia. But then came the Kargil war and stalled the treaty. General Musharraf is widely believed to be the mind behind it all.
• UN appeal: On 11 March 2001, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called upon both India and Pakistan to retain the spirit of the Lahore Declaration, saying that it would require restraint, wisdom, and constructive steps from both sides.
• Agra Summit: It started amid high hopes of resolving various disputes between the two countries including the five decades old Kashmir issue. Both sides started the summit with hopefulness and in a spirit of good will. President Musharraf used the phrases "cautious optimism", "flexibility" and "open mind”. 

• Summit collapses: The talks and peace process finally collapsed and no signatures were attained for the Agra treaty. Three major reasons 

1. Vajpayee government did not trust President Pervez Musharraf and the establishment
2. India was not satisfied with Pakistan's pledge to halt cross-border infiltrations
3. The Indian government had plans for holding regional elections in Indian Kashmir in October 2002.

• Officially speaking: The Indian leadership considered Musharraf's refusal to give up support to the cross-border insurgency in Kashmir as the reason behind the failure of the Agra Summit in June 2001. India reiterated the necessity of implementing the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

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