ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting for Thursday to discuss India’s aggressive diplomatic actions after the attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the decision on the social media platform X, adding that the meeting will formulate Pakistan’s official 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
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the meeting, which will also be attended by Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, and senior officials from the military and intelligence agencies.
At least 27 tourists were killed and 17 others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire in Anantnag district of IIOJK on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also confirmed the summoning of the NSC meeting.
“A session of the National Security Committee will be held under the chair of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” said Asif in a statement, adding that decisions will be taken to give “an appropriate response to the Indian steps”.
The announcement comes after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during a press briefing, announced the suspension of the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and the cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals.
The briefing followed 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.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Minister for Power Awais Leghari said, “India’s reckless suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is an act of water warfare; a cowardly, illegal move. Every drop is ours by right, and we will defend it with full force — legally, politically, and globally.”
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson expressed condolences over the loss of lives.
“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in the 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.
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.
