Pakistan has launched a firm retaliation to India’s recent moves, following a deadly attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In a high-level meeting on Thursday, the National Security Committee (NSC) declared that any attempt by India to block Pakistan’s water supply would be considered an act of war.
The NSC’s decisions include the immediate closure of the Wagah border, halting all trade and land transit with India, and the suspension of airspace for Indian-owned flights. Further actions include the cancellation of the SAARC visa exemption for Indian nationals, the expulsion of Indian nationals from Pakistan within 48 hours, and the limitation of the Indian High Commission’s staff to just 30 persons.
The NSC also rejected India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it a legally binding international agreement that cannot be suspended without mutual consent. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the importance of water to the nation’s survival, calling any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s water “an existential threat.”
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office criticized India’s actions as “unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, and devoid of legal merit,” adding that they violate international norms and UN resolutions. The NSC’s meeting, chaired by Sharif, was attended by senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and top military leaders.
India had announced the suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals and ordered those currently in India to leave by the expiry of their visas. India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, also stated that the Indus Waters Treaty would be suspended “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had expressed condolences over the loss of lives in a recent attack in Anantnag, IIOJK, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The diplomatic tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors continue to escalate, with both sides taking aggressive measures that threaten further destabilization in the region.
