UPSC Mains 2013 GS Paper 1 Q9: model answer
Analyze the circumstances that led to the Tashkent Agreement in 1966. Discuss the highlights of the Agreement.
What the question wants
Analyse the circumstances behind the Tashkent Agreement and discuss its main terms.
How to structure it
Two directives: analyse the circumstances, then discuss the highlights.
- The 1965 war
- Why talks at Tashkent
- Highlights
- Assessment
How to think it through
Think of the 1965 war as a stalemate that both sides needed an exit from, and the Soviet Union as the host who wanted a peaceful South Asia (and a bit of influence). The sad human detail: Shastri died in Tashkent the night after signing. Keep the highlights crisp: withdrawal to pre-war positions, no use of force, restoring relations.
Model answer
The Tashkent Agreement was signed on 10 Janu- ary 1966 by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and President Ayub Khan, with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin as mediator.
Circumstances
- Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar (infiltration into Kashmir) and the Rann of Kutch clash in 1965 led to full war in August–September 1965.
- India crossed the international border towards Lahore; the war ended in a stalemate with a UN-called ceasefire (September 1965).
- Both sides faced economic strain; the US and UK cut aid; the Soviet Union offered mediation to increase its influence in the region.
Highlights
- Both armies to withdraw to positions held before 5 August 1965.
- Commitment to settle disputes by peaceful means, not by force (the UN Charter).
- Non-interference in each other's internal affairs; restoration of diplomatic, economic and trade relations; repatriation of prisoners.
Assessment
- It restored peace but did not resolve Kashmir; India returned strategic areas such as Haji Pir, which was criticised at home.
- Shastri's sudden death in Tashkent the following night shocked the nation.
- Kosygin's mediation also signalled Moscow's new role as a balancer in South Asia, a role that mattered again in 1971.
Bottom line
Tashkent ended a war but not the conflict. It showed the value of mediation and the limits of agreements that leave root causes untouched.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Operation Gibraltar, Rann of Kutch, Kosygin, Ayub Khan, 10 January 1966, Haji Pir, pre-5 August 1965 positions.
Where most answers lose marks
- Narrating the 1965 war only, without the agreement's highlights.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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