Why do India and Pakistan not recognize the line of control as an international border?

The Line of Control (LoC) is not recognized as an international border because both India and Pakistan continue to claim the entire Kashmir region as their own.12

The origins of this dispute date back to the 1947 partition of British India, when the Hindu ruler of the Muslim-majority princely state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India. This led to the first war between the two nations, which concluded with a ceasefire in 1949.341

Following the 1971 war, the Simla Agreement of 1972 converted the existing ceasefire line into the Line of Control. While both nations agreed to respect the line and avoid unilateral alterations, it was explicitly not designated as an international border. India maintains that the region is an integral part of its territory based on the Instrument of Accession, while Pakistan has historically viewed the region as a natural extension of its own territory. Consequently, the LoC remains a de facto boundary rather than a de jure international frontier, serving as a focal point for ongoing territorial tensions.52146