India Suspends Indus Water Treaty, Closes Border Crossing with Pakistan Following Pahalgam Terror Attack

In a sweeping set of retaliatory measures following Tuesday’s deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government has announced the immediate suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and the closure of a key border crossing. The decision comes after a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned early from an official visit to Saudi Arabia in response to the crisis.

The attack, which killed 26 people including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, is one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in India in nearly two decades. Gunmen believed to be associated with Pakistan-based militant groups opened fire on tourists in the popular meadow region of Pahalgam. Several others were injured in the ambush.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing reporters after the CCS meeting, confirmed the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a historic agreement brokered by the World Bank that governs the sharing of the Indus River waters between India and Pakistan.

“The treaty will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abjures support for cross-border terrorism,” Misri stated. The move could have serious consequences for Pakistan, which relies heavily on the Indus River system for irrigation and drinking water.

The CCS also ordered the immediate closure of the Attari-Wagah border crossing — the only land trade route between the two countries — and cancelled all visas issued to Pakistani nationals under the South Asian regional visa exemption scheme. Those already in India under such visas have been ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

Additionally, India has declared Pakistani defense attachés posted in New Delhi as “persona non grata” and given them one week to depart. India will also recall its own military advisers from its embassy in Islamabad by May 1. The diplomatic missions on both sides will be reduced to 30 personnel from the current 55.

Foreign Secretary Misri emphasized that these measures are part of India’s commitment to bringing those responsible for the attack to justice and holding their sponsors accountable. He noted the CCS was briefed on the cross-border linkages of the attack, which occurred against the backdrop of recent democratic progress in Jammu and Kashmir, including successful legislative elections and economic development.

The attack in Pahalgam has reignited long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan over the contested region of Kashmir. Though violence in the region had decreased in recent years, the assault marks a sharp escalation in militant activity.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has reportedly called a high-level meeting of defense and civilian officials for Thursday to formulate Islamabad’s response to the measures announced by New Delhi.

Foreign Secretary Misri further warned that India remains resolute in its pursuit of justice. Citing the recent extradition from the United States of Tahawwur Rana, a suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said, “India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror or conspired to make them possible.”

As diplomatic tensions rise, regional observers expect further hardening of positions, with the Pahalgam massacre becoming a new flashpoint in already fraught India-Pakistan relations.