In a strong response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives, India on Wednesday announced the immediate suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and closure of the Wagah-Attari border crossing. The decisions were taken during a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that the CCS condemned the attack in the strongest terms, offered condolences to the victims’ families, and reiterated India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism. He confirmed that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which allocates western rivers to Pakistan and eastern rivers to India, would be suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
Though India, as the upper riparian state, cannot immediately halt water flow, the move is seen as a strategic warning. Experts say it could severely impact Pakistan, particularly its Punjab province, if the threat is carried through.
In addition, India has ordered the expulsion of all Pakistani military advisors from its High Commission in New Delhi and will withdraw its own from Islamabad. All Pakistani nationals in India with SAARC visas have been given 48 hours to leave.
