Regional Peace Quotes
The Punjab, like Afghanistan and some other areas had no real tradition of government. The Sikhs of the Punjab had initiated a war with the British Colonial Empire—The 1st Anglo-Sikh War—which ended with a decisive British victory and a peace treaty where the rulers of the Punjab agreed to keep the peace. However, they really could not control the population and some Sikhs again attacked British and Muslim interests. The Governor-General reported that treaties and commitments with the Punjab leaders really meant little. The British also won the 2nd Anglo-Sikh War-. The Governor-General was determined that there would not be a 3rd war with the Sikhs of the Punjab.
The treaty was actually written in Persian—a “neutral language.” However, what it illustrates is that very complex treaties could be very short. This is half the treaty. The first sentence introduces the representatives of the parties. The last sentence agrees to keep the roads and trade open. That was it. It ended many years of fighting for control of Laddakh. The Tibetans wrote a report describing the negotiations and have always maintained that these verbal side agreements were also binding. Even today diplomats make side agreements that are too hot to be put in the main treaty, albeit no treaty in modern times has been as short.
