Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has failed to maintain the sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC);

(b) if so, whether over past two and a half decades, the UNMOGIP has done nothing to maintain the sanctity of the LoC;

(c) if so, whether UNMOGIP has not passed any strictures while taking note of ceasefire violations; and

(d) if so, the views of the Union Government thereto?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI PRENEET KAUR)

(a) to (d) The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was established under a UN Security Council Resolution and was meant to supervise the Cease Fire Line established in Jammu and Kashmir under the Karachi Agreement of July 1949. Following the signing of the Simla Agreement of 1972 between India and Pakistan, both countries have resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations. It was also agreed that the Line of Control resulting from the ceasefire of December 17, 1971 shall be respected by both sides, and that neither side shall seek to alter it unilaterally, irrespective of mutual differences and legal interpretations. The Government of India holds the view that UNMOGIP’s role has been overtaken by the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.

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Miscellaneous

South Asia