Tashkent Declaration of 1966

a declaration signed on Jan. 10, 1966, as a result of a meeting held between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10, 1966, in Tashkent between M. Ayub Khan, the president of Pakistan; L. B. Shastri, the prime minister of India; and A. N. Kosygin, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The meeting was undertaken on the initiative of the USSR, which offered its good offices to normalize relations between India and Pakistan. These relations had become exacerbated owing to the armed conflict that had begun between the two countries in August and September 1965 in the region of Kashmir.

The declaration provided for measures to eliminate the consequences of the conflict; the withdrawal of both countries’ armed forces to their prewar positions, the resumption of normal activities by diplomatic missions, and the discussion of measures to restore economic and commercial ties between India and Pakistan.

The Tashkent Declaration created a practical basis for the resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan.