KEY POINTS
- India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan
- New Delhi cancels all visas issued to Pakistani nationals
- India will withdraw its defence advisors from the High Commission in Islamabad
- India declares advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata
ISLAMABAD: In a significant escalation of hostilities, India on Wednesday suspended the decades-old Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan and announced the cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals after the attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) a day earlier which security analysts suspected as a false flag operation by India to divert attention from internal unrest.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during a press briefing following a high-level meeting of India’s Cabinet Committee on Security — the country’s top decision-making body on national security outlined what he called a “decisive response to cross-border terrorism”, although no evidence was presented implicating Pakistan in the incident.
At least 27 tourists were killed and 17 others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire in Anantnag district of IIOJK on Tuesday.
Indian officials have blamed Pakistan for the attack, a claim Islamabad strongly denies. Security analysts and commentators have raised concerns that the incident may be a false flag operation aimed at diverting attention from internal unrest and discrediting Pakistan internationally.
The Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson expressed condolences over the loss of lives. “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also dismissed the allegations, stating, “Pakistan has nothing to do with the Pahalgam incident. Civilians must not become victims of such conflicts. We don’t support terrorism anywhere.”
Khawaja Asif further said that India was using Pakistan as a scapegoat to divert global attention from ongoing unrest in several of its own regions, including Nagaland, Chhattisgarh and Manipur. “India continues to exploit its minorities, and it is fuelling insurgencies across its states,” he added.
Address a press conference after the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, the Indian Foreign Secretary Misri said that the CCS has decided that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will be held in abeyance with immediate effect.
Signed on 19 September 1960, the treaty was brokered by the World Bank and governs the sharing of water from the Indus River system between the two countries. It allocates the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India, while giving Pakistan control over the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Misri said the suspension means India will halt the flow of water from the Indus and its tributaries into Pakistan. Analysts have warned that such a move could have serious humanitarian and environmental consequences, impacting tens of millions of people in Pakistan who rely on the rivers for agriculture and daily use.
India also announced the closure of the Integrated Check Post Attari with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before 01 May 2025, Misri said.
Misri said that Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. “Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled, and Pakistani nationals currently in India under the SVES visas have 48 hours to leave India,” Misri added
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India also declared Pakistan’s military, naval and air advisors stationed at its High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata and directed them to leave within seven days.
Simultaneously, India will withdraw its own defence attaches from its High Commission in Islamabad and reduce the overall diplomatic staff strength at both missions to 30 from the current 55, with changes effective by 1 May 2025.
The developments mark a fresh low in relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, already strained by years of hostility and conflict. The Indian government’s measures have sparked fears of further deterioration in regional stability.
Pakistan views Indian government actions as politically motivated and an attempt to shift blame for India’s domestic challenges.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) for Thursday morning to formulate the country’s official response to India’s recent aggressive diplomatic actions.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, confirmed the meeting in a post on X, stating that it would shape Pakistan’s response amid rising regional tensions.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz has convened the meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning 24th April 2025 to respond to the Indian Government’s statement of this evening.
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) April 23, 2025
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning, 24th April 2025, to formulate a response to the Indian government’s statement issued this evening,” Dar wrote.
