Delhi Agreement

Delhi Agreement
Transfer of Population Under the Terms of the Delhi Agreement
Flags of India and Pakistan being lowered at the Wagah Border in Punjab
TypePopulation transfer
ContextCold War
Drafted17 April 1973
Signed9 April 1973; 51 years ago (1973-04-09)
LocationNew Delhi, India
Sealed19 September 1973
Effective28 August 1973
ConditionRatification by both parties
Expiration28 August 1974 (1974-08-28)
Expiry1 July 1974
MediatorsInterior ministries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
NegotiatorsForeign ministries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
SignatoriesSwaran Singh
(Minister of External Affairs)
Aziz Ahmed
(Foreign Minister of Pakistan)
Kamal Hossain
(Foreign Minister of Bangladesh)
Parties India
 Pakistan
 Bangladesh
RatifiersParliaments of India and Pakistan
DepositaryIndira Gandhi
Prime Minister of India
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Depositaries
LanguagesEnglish

The Delhi Agreement was a trilateral agreement signed between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh on 28 August 1973; and ratified only by India and Pakistan.[1] It allowed the repatriation of prisoners of war and interned officials held in the three countries after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The agreement has been criticised for Pakistan's failure to repatriate Urdu-speakers in Bangladesh, not holding to account 195 senior military officials accused of breach of conduct during war and not making provision for a war crimes tribunal.[2]

The treaty was signed by the foreign ministers of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in New Delhi after the Simla Agreement.[1]

  1. ^ a b Levie, Howard S. (January 1974). "The Indo-Pakistani Agreement of August 28, 1973". American Journal of International Law. 68 (1). American Society of International Law: 95–97. doi:10.2307/2198806. JSTOR 2198806. S2CID 246007433.
  2. ^ Ahamed, Syeed (May 2010). "The Curious Case of the 195 War Criminals". Forum. The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.