India suspends water treaty, seals borders with Pakistan after tourist killings in Kashmir

Following killings of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, India halts the 64-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, seals borders, expels military diplomats, and cancels Pakistani visas

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) –  India on Wednesday announced a series of steps against Pakistan, holding it responsible for the shooting of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

These steps included suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a water sharing agreement, closure of the Wagah-Attari border, cancellation of certain visas, and diplomatic expulsions.

The attack, which took place in a remote meadow of Anantnag district on April 22, claimed 26 lives — 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen — and injured at least 17 others.

Pakistan has firmly rejected any involvement in the deadly attack, calling claims linking it to the assault “baseless.”

In a sharply worded statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed condolences for the victims but denied any responsibility, warning against what it called India’s “reflexive finger-pointing” and use of tragedy for political mileage.

In a dramatic escalation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his Saudi Arabia visit and chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday evening.

The CCS, India’s apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, was briefed in detail about the assault.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry said the meeting underscored cross-border linkages to the attack.

Experts say, the most decisive step has been suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a landmark agreement brokered by the World Bank between India and Pakistan that has withstood wars, skirmishes, and diplomatic standoffs.

The treaty regulated the sharing of six rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — whose waters are crucial to agriculture, drinking supply, and power generation in both countries, but particularly vital to Pakistan’s survival.

India declared the treaty to be in “abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abjures support for cross-border terrorism.”

Simultaneously, India ordered the closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post, the only operational land crossing between the two countries.

Pakistani nationals already in India were told to exit the country no later than  May 1, 2025.

Visas scrapped

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), which allowed limited visa-free travel for selected citizens of South Asian nations including Pakistan, was also scrapped for Pakistani citizens.

All existing SVES visas held by Pakistanis were declared void. Those currently in India under the scheme were given 48 hours to leave.

Further, the government declared Pakistani military attachés — including defence, naval and air advisors — posted in New Delhi as persona non grata, instructing them to leave India within a week.

In a reciprocal move, India also announced it would withdraw its own military personnel from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The support staff of these service advisors will also be pulled out.

The CCS stated that these posts were now considered annulled.

In another blow to diplomatic engagement, India announced that the total strength of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi would be reduced from 55 to 30 personnel, with similar reductions expected at the Indian mission in Islamabad.

The downsizing is to take effect by May 1.

The CCS, after reviewing the broader security landscape, directed all security agencies to maintain high vigilance and enhance coordination across sensitive regions.

It resolved to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack, as well as those who enabled or supported them, would be brought to justice.

Citing the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana from the United States — a suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks — the government said it would remain relentless in pursuing anyone involved in terrorism against India, anywhere in the world.

The Pahalgam attack sent shockwaves through the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country.

Eyewitness accounts described a horrifying scene: heavily armed gunmen emerged from a nearby forest into an open meadow, and without warning, began firing on groups of tourists, targeting men and reportedly sparing women.

Survivors recalled that the attackers moved calmly through the crowd, firing methodically before disappearing back into the woods.

A horse handler who witnessed the attack said, “It lasted around 20 minutes. They walked as if they feared nothing, shot people right in front of us, and then vanished. Everyone ran for their lives.”

Victims included civilians from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, as well as a serving navy officer and a Nepali tourist.

Many of the wounded sustained gunshot injuries and were flown to Srinagar for treatment under heavy security.

The attack triggered panic among tourists, leading to a mass exodus. Local hotels emptied overnight, and the Srinagar airport saw a surge in outbound traffic.

Several civil society groups in Kashmir announced a shutdown to protest the attack, and many schools closed for the day in mourning.

While a group calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF) is reported to have claimed responsibility, authorities have not yet independently verified this claim.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking in New Delhi, said the country would respond “loud and clear.”

Former Pakistani minister Sherry Rehman, while condemning the killings, criticised what she called India’s habitual and premature blaming of Pakistan.

“Strategic stability and responsible engagement are being replaced by chest-thumping,” she said. “Stridency-on-steroids is not a foreign policy.”

The unfolding situation marks one of the lowest points in India-Pakistan relations in recent years.

With water, visas, diplomacy, and border ties all impacted, observers fear a prolonged period of confrontation.

Pakistan reacts

Pakistan Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif has conveyed the meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning 24th April 2025 to respond to the Indian Government’s actions from this evening.

Earlier, responding to media queries, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Khan in a statement had said: “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in 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.”

Summary of India’s actions against Pakistan:

1. Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty:
   • The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan was suspended with immediate effect.
2. Closure of Integrated Check Post, Attari:
   • The Attari Integrated Check Post is closed effective immediately.
   • Pakistani nationals with valid endorsements may return through this post only until 01 May 2025.
3. Revocation of SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistan:
   • Pakistani nationals are barred from travelling to India under SVES. This visa category is issued to eminent persons.
   • All previously issued SVES visas to Pakistani nationals are cancelled.
   • Pakistani nationals currently in India under SVES have 48 hours to leave the country.
4. Expulsion of Military Personnel from High Commissions:
   • Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They must leave within one week.
   • India will withdraw its own Defence/Navy/Air Advisors from its High Commission in Islamabad.
   • Five support staff for these advisors will also be withdrawn from both sides.
   • These positions are now considered annulled in both High Commissions.
5. Downsizing of Diplomatic Staff:
   • The overall diplomatic strength at both High Commissions will be reduced from 55 to 30.
   • These reductions are to be completed by 01 May 2025.