Hits out at Congress over 1971 Shimla Agreement; says India showed strategic dominance, not restraint
New Delhi, May 11 – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday declared that India has "rewritten the rules of engagement" with Pakistan under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, asserting that the recent ceasefire understanding between the two nations came only after Pakistan suffered heavy losses.The statement comes a day after India and Pakistan agreed to halt all military actions—across land, air, and sea—following four days of intense drone and missile exchanges across the border.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed Pakistan “pleaded for an understanding” after facing “catastrophic losses.” He credited Prime Minister Modi’s decisive leadership for India's assertive military posture, stating, “In just 72 hours, India has rewritten the rules of engagement with Pakistan.”
Bhandari alleged that India struck deep into Pakistani military zones, including Lahore and Rawalpindi, destroying key terror hubs such as those in Munirke and Bahawalpur, and called out Pakistan’s “nuclear bluff.” He also mentioned that India had economically crippled Pakistan by pausing the Indus Water Treaty and diplomatically isolated it by exposing its terror ecosystem globally.
Criticism of Congress and Shimla Agreement
The BJP also launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, particularly targeting the legacy of the Indira Gandhi-led government post the 1971 India-Pakistan war.In a post on X, Bhandari alleged that India, under Congress leadership, released over 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war without securing any strategic advantage. He claimed that the 1972 Shimla Agreement was signed under pressure from the US and the Soviet Union, and failed to insist on Pakistan vacating Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), formalise borders, or demand reparations.
“Capitulation without securing India’s interests is embedded in the Congress DNA,” he charged, while also sharing a video clip of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw reportedly commenting on then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision.
Congress Seeks Answers on Kashmir and Ceasefire
Meanwhile, the Congress has questioned whether India accepted third-party mediation in resolving the Kashmir issue, after the US made announcements on behalf of both India and Pakistan regarding the ceasefire. It demanded an immediate session of Parliament to discuss the recent terror incidents, Operation Sindoor, and developments along the border.BJP Asserts Modern Military Strategy
Echoing Bhandari’s sentiments, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said that comparing 2025 with 1971 was misleading, as the circumstances are starkly different.“In 1971, the local population in what is now Bangladesh supported India. That is not the case today,” he noted. He also highlighted that despite Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, India remains one of the few nations to have carried out multiple strikes deep into a nuclear-armed state’s territory.
“This is not strategic restraint. This is strategic dominance,” Bhandari emphasized, adding that the fight against Pakistani terrorism is far from over.