This agreement, contained in the joint communiqué issued at the end of the Indo-Pak Ministerial level meeting, resolved certain border disputes in the east and decided to expedite demarcation work. It also appealed to the Press to exercise restraint and assist in the promotion of friendly relations. The agreement is done on January 11, 1960
JOINT COMMUNIQUE
1. At their meeting on 1st September 1959, the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India agreed, in pursuance of their desire to promote good neighborly relations between their two countries on a rational basis, to an Indo-Pakistan conference at Minister-level to devise measures to end disputes and incidents on the Indo-East Pakistan border. This Minister-level Conference, with Sardar Swaran Singh and Lt. General K.M. Shaikh leading their respective delegations, started in Delhi on 15th October 1959, continued its deliberations at Dacca from l8th to 20th and had its concluding session at Delhi on 21st and 22nd October.
2. The delegations approached the various questions discussed in a positive and constructive spirit and, while they had full and frank exchange of views, the objectives of arriving at agreed decisions and procedures to end disputes and incidents and establishing and maintaining peaceful conditions on the Indo-East Pakistan border regions throughout guided the deliberations of the Conference.
3. The fact that there has been no settlement of the respective claims of India and Pakistan in the areas of the Patharia Forest Reserve and the Kushiyara river in accordance with the Radcliff Award in spite of these disputes having been referred to an international tribunal which gave awards in 1950 has been one of the principal causes of conflict and tension along these Indo-East Pakistan border areas. The leaders of the two Delegations agreed that these and other disputes between the two countries should be resolved in a spirit of give and take in the larger interest of both countries. With a view to avoiding dislocation in the life of the population of these border areas and promoting friendly relations, the following agreed decisions have been reached in respect of these disputes:-
(i) The dispute concerning Bagge Award No. III should be settled by adopting a rational boundary in the Patharia Forest Reserve region;
(ii) The dispute concerning Bagge Award No. IV in the Kushiyara river region should be settled by adopting the thana boundaries of Beani Bazar and Karimganj as per notification No. 5133-H dated the 28th May 1940 as the India-East Pakistan boundary;
(iii) The status quo should be restored in Tukergram.
4. It was also agreed that detailed procedures should be worked out to maintain peace on the Indo-East Pakistan border and to bring immediately under control any incident that may occur. Detailed ground rules to be observed by the border security forces of both sides, which, among other things, provide that no border outpost will be located within 150 yards of the border, on either side, and other procedures laid down in the ground rules regarding frequent contacts between those in charge of border security forces and other officials of the Governments concerned at various levels, will secure maintenance of peaceful conditions on the Indo-East Pakistan border and ensure that immediate action is taken to reestablish peace should any incident unfortunately occur.
5. Detailed procedures for expediting progress of demarcation work and for orderly adjustment of territorial jurisdiction, due regard being had to local agricultural practices and the interests of the local border population, have been worked out. It was also agreed that, in their quarterly review, the Governments of East Pakistan, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura will ensure that the target dates for progressing demarcation work are observed.
6. Both Governments re-affirmed their determination to resolve border disputes by negotiation and agreed that all outstanding boundary disputes on the East Pakistan-India border and the West Pakistan-India border, raised so far by either country, should, if not settled by negotiation, be referred to an impartial tribunal for, settlement and implementation of that settlement by demarcation on the ground and by exchange of territorial jurisdiction, if any.
7. Both Governments agreed to appeal to the Press to exercise restraint and assist in the maintenance and promotion of friendly relations between India and Pakistan. In furtherance of this objective, both Governments agreed to take early action for a meeting of the Indo-Pakistan Information Consultative Committee, which is being revived.
8. Both Governments are resolved to implement, in full and as expeditiously as possible, the Noon-Nehru Agreement and the present agreement on Indo-East Pakistan border settlements and to that end to devise expeditiously the legal and constitutional procedures necessary for implementation. Both Governments agreed to maintain contact with each other continuously on the progress of implementation of these agreements and to carry out periodical reviews of the working of the procedures adopted to maintain peaceful and friendly relations in the border regions.