ISLAMABAD: The status of the Simla Agreement the primary bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan was cast into doubt after a top minister contended that New Delhi`s unilateral `abrogation` of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) meant that all bets are off.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif`s comments, which remained the subject of intense debate on Thursday, prompted the Foreign Office to clarify that `no formal decision` had been made to abrogate any bilateral agreement with India so far.

The minister`s statement appeared to hark back to the declaration issued by the National Security Committee (NSC), which had warned India over its provocative actions taken in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

At the time, the forum had indicated that New Delhi`s unilateral action of withdrawing from the IWT was not acceptable as the treaty had no such provision, and that Islamabad may consider holding the Simla accord and other treaties in abeyance if its water supply was affected in any way.In remarks broadcast by Geo News, Mr Asif contended that the IWT did not allow either party to withdraw from it unilaterally, adding that any decisions about the accord could only be taken with the consent of both parties.`If this is the case [and this is India`s attitude]... the Simla Agreement is between two parties andhasnointerference orpatronage from the World Bank or anyone else. Then, the Line of Control (LoC) will revert to a ceasefire line, which was its original status as per the [UN] resolution calling for a plebiscite,` he said.

`The sanctity of the Simla Agreement has ended due to India`s actions,` the defence minister added, further saying that its stipulations, such as calling for India and Pakistan to resolve issues bilaterally in his opinion were no longer applicable.

When asked to comment, a senior Foreign Office official told Dawn.com: `No formal decision on abrogation of any bilateral agreement with India has so far been made.

The clarification implied that while the option of suspending other bilateral treaties may be on the table, Mr Asif was merely voicing his personal opinion and the state has not yet made a decision in this regard.

Later, the defence minister even admitted as much. In a separate TV appearance on Thursday night, he clarified his remarks, saying: `This is my personal analysis; the government has nothing to do with it. I am a student of politics and history.

Mr Asif pointed out that India had treated the IWT with contempt and thrown it into confusion and abeyance. `I responded only to that the same thing will be applied to the Simla Pact. That was my point.

`I think if India does something to the IWT, we should counter them...This was purely my opinion, and I think my opinion should be the state`s position on the issue,` he said.

What is Simla accord? The agreement was signed between Pakistan and India in the aftermath of the 1971 war; the signatoriesbeingZulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi. It stipulated that neither party would take any action unilaterally, that the disputes between the two countries would be resolved bilaterally, and that the ceasefire line would become the LoC.

In connection with the disputed Kashmir region, it stated that `the basic issues and causes of conflict which have be-devilled the relations between the two countries for the last 25 years shall be resolved by peaceful means`.

It also bound both countries to discuss the modalities and arrangements for lasting peace and normalisation.