New Delhi, (EFE).- India expelled Pakistani defense advisers on Wednesday, ordered the closure of the only official land crossing between the two countries, and suspended key bilateral agreements, following a deadly attack in Indian-istered Kashmir that killed 25 Indian tourists and one Nepali citizen.
The measures were announced by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri after a Cabinet Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India claims the attack has clear cross-border links to Pakistan.
In response, it ordered the expulsion of Pakistani military, naval, air, and defense advisers stationed in New Delhi, giving them one week to leave the country.
India will also withdraw its corresponding officials from its High Commission in Islamabad.
Additionally, India immediately closed the Attari Integrated Check Post, a critical hub for trade and transit, giving individuals with valid visas until May 1 to cross back to their respective countries.
India also revoked all previously issued visas under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals, giving those already in India just 48 hours to leave.
Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty
India also suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark agreement brokered by the World Bank that governs water sharing between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The treaty allocates the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) largely to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) primarily to Pakistan, giving Pakistan control over about 80% of the river system’s flow.
India’s government said the suspension will remain until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly” renounces for cross-border terrorism.
The move could have significant consequences for Pakistan’s agriculture sector, which heavily relies on the Indus River system for irrigation, and further strain already tense bilateral relations.
Despite decades of conflict, the Indus Waters Treaty was considered a rare point of cooperation between India and Pakistan.
The Kashmir Attack and rising tensions
The latest tensions follow a brutal attack on Tuesday near Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination often referred to as “Little Switzerland” for its scenic meadows and pine forests.
Gunmen emerged from nearby woods and, according to witnesses, appeared to target civilians they believed were non-Muslims.
A previously unknown group calling itself the Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility. Indian authorities link TRF to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant group responsible for major attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Resistance Front reportedly emerged after India’s 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, a move that escalated local resentment and insurgency.
TRF has cited Indian government policies, including alleged demographic changes in Kashmir, as motives for its actions.
Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since their independence and partition in 1947, with both countries claiming the territory in full but controlling only parts.
Since 1989, Indian-istered Kashmir has witnessed a separatist insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
India has accused Pakistan of ing the militants, a charge Islamabad denies. EFE
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