Tensions between India and Pakistan have flared yet again following India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people. Islamabad has sharply criticized the move, terming it an act of “water warfare.”
Pakistan’s Power Minister Awais Leghari condemned India’s action on social media platform X, calling the suspension of the decades-old river-sharing treaty “cowardly” and “illegal.” The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has long served as a rare point of cooperation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors despite frequent hostilities.
The decision was announced by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri following a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Misri stated that India would not only halt its obligations under the treaty but also shut down the Attari land crossing, recall all defense attachés from Pakistan, and reduce its diplomatic staff in Islamabad from 55 to 30.
Additionally, New Delhi has declared all defense advisers posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi as persona non grata, giving them a week to leave the country.
The Indian government has held Pakistan accountable for “cross-border terrorism” following the Pahalgam massacre, where 25 Indians and one Nepali tourist were killed by terrorists at the Baisaran meadow, a popular tourist destination.
Prime Minister Modi, addressing a gathering in Bihar on Thursday, promised a relentless pursuit of the perpetrators. “India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backer. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth,” he asserted after observing a moment of silence for the victims.
An all-party meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening in New Delhi, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah will brief leaders of opposition parties on the situation and the government’s response.
As diplomatic ties continue to strain, observers fear that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could trigger a fresh wave of regional instability, further complicating peace prospects between the two neighbors.
Sources By Agencies
