Srinagar, April 23 — India has closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab—known for its daily Beating Retreat ceremony—and suspended the Indus Water Treaty, alongside barring Pakistani citizens from entering under a visa exemption scheme after Pahalgam attack.
India also declared Pakistan's Defence, Military, Naval, and Air Advisor in New Delhi as persona non grata, giving them one week to leave the country.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced the downgrading of ties at a media briefing, stating that cross-border links to the attack were "brought out" during a special security cabinet meeting.
“India is suspending the Indus Water Treaty until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” Misri said.
Islamabad has denied involvement in the attack. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to chair a national security committee meeting on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, returned to Delhi early Wednesday and held a high-level meeting with his national security adviser, foreign minister, and top officials at the airport, followed by the security cabinet meeting.
While militant attacks in Kashmir are not new, tourists had never been targeted until May 18, 2024—after Article 370 was revoked—when two tourists were injured in a grenade attack in Pahalgam’s Yanner area.
The Indus Waters Treaty is a six-decade-old agreement under which India and Pakistan share six Himalayan rivers—Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. Signed in 1960 with World Bank facilitation, the treaty is important for irrigation in both countries. It grants India control over the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—while Pakistan manages the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. India is permitted to construct run-of-the-river hydro projects on the western rivers, provided they do not disrupt Pakistan’s downstream rights
The Treaty, signed in 1960 by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, is one of the world’s most enduring water-sharing agreements. However, on September 18, 2023, New Delhi had sent a formal notice to Islamabad, seeking reassessment of the treaty
India did not specified the exact changes it wants in the treaty, but analysts believe New Delhi seeks provisions that would ease the development of hydropower and other infrastructure on the western rivers, which Pakistan is entitled to use.
In recent years, India’s hydropower and infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified tensions over the IWT and shared water resources.