The 1965 war between India and Pakistan lasted for 17 days. On 22nd September, 1965, the UNSC brokered a ceasefire between the two warring parties. Soon after this, the USSR offered mediation for resolving the persisting tensions between India and Pakistan. Both the President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, and the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri agreed to sit at the table under Soviet mediation. 

On January 3, 1966, President Ayub and his team of sixteen people came to the Capital of the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, which is known as Tashkent. Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Khwaja Shahabuddin, Minister of Trade Ghulam Farooq, amongst other ministers, were a part of this delegation. Indian PM Lal Bahadur Shastri also arrived with his delegation on the same day. 

Kashmir at the Epicenter 

The negotiations continued for about seven days. But, during these seven days, the diplomatic environment was constantly changing. PM Shastri held the view that the Kashmir issue should not be discussed in these negotiations. According to him, the Kashmir issue was already addressed, and these negotiations have been ongoing to resolve only the recent tensions between the two states. On the other hand, the Pakistani delegation was not ready to head forward without considering Kashmir. 

According to Pakistani members, without discussing Kashmir, these negotiations would be useless, and if the issue is not addressed, then they should return to their country without any talk. In his book, “Shahab Nama,” Qudratullah Shahab has mentioned that most probably due to the Russian involvement, the Indian PM was compelled to discuss the Kashmir issue, but he remained tough and stubborn throughout the negotiations. 

Tashkent Declaration 

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was of the view that they should not move forward without ultimately addressing the Kashmir issue. Initially, Ayub Khan favored Bhutto’s view, but later on, he rejected Bhutto’s proposal after holding several private meetings with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. Resultantly, on 10 January 1966,........

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