ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires Geetika Srivastava to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and formally conveyed a strong demarche in response to recent Indian actions, local media reported citing diplomatic sources.
The Indian envoy was officially handed over the protest note and a series of decisions taken by Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC), which met in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the “Indian aggression”, according to media reports citing diplomatic sources.
The Indian diplomat was informed about Pakistan’s decision to declare the Indian High Commission’s defence, air, and naval attachés as persona non grata, directing them, along with their supporting staff, to leave the country.
Additionally, Pakistan conveyed its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties and reduce the Indian High Commission’s staff strength to 30 members. All Indian nationals, except Sikh pilgrims, have been given 48 hours to leave Pakistan.
Pakistan has also announced the closure of the Wagah border for Indian nationals and formally notified India that its airspace has been closed to all commercial flights originating from or destined for India.
The Foreign Office also notified Pakistan’s decision to suspend the use of its airspace for all Indian commercial flights.
Furthermore, Pakistan hinted at suspending the 1972 Simla Agreement and other bilateral treaties if India unilaterally withdrew from the Indus Waters Treaty.
The decisions were taken during the detailed deliberations by the National Security Committee and are guided by the consensus of the country’s civilian and military leadership. Pakistan has also decided to halt all trade with India — direct and indirect — as part of its retaliatory measures.
The National Security Committee session took place after the recent incident in Pahalgam, in the Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), in which 26 people were killed. India, without producing any credible evidence, has blamed Pakistan for the incident — an accusation Islamabad has vehemently denied, terming it a “false flag operation.”
A statement issued by the NSC strongly rejected India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, describing it as a violation of an internationally binding agreement brokered by the World Bank.
The committee asserted: “Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people, and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs.”
The NSC warned that any attempt by India to divert water from Pakistan in violation of the treaty would be viewed as “an act of war and responded to with full force across the complete spectrum of national power.”
The committee also criticised what it described as India’s “reckless and irresponsible behaviour,” accusing New Delhi of ignoring international conventions, United Nations Security Council resolutions, and legal commitments.
The NSC stated: “Pakistan reserves the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India — including but not limited to the Simla Agreement — in abeyance until India ceases its policy of fomenting terrorism inside Pakistan, committing transnational killings, and violating international law and UN resolutions on Kashmir.”
