India halts Indus Waters Treaty, shuts borders with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: India has announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, also known as the Indus Waters Treaty, and asked Pakistani citizens to leave India within 48 hours.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday announced the closure of the Attari and Wagah borders. Pakistani citizens will no longer be able to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption.

“The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty will be terminated with immediate effect,” India’s top diplomat Vikram Misri told media persons in New Delhi.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also announced that India will recall all its defence attachés from Islamabad.

The attacks in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, have claimed at least 26 lives.

Following the attack, Indian media and social media accounts affiliated with the intelligence agency RAW quickly began targeting Pakistan with baseless allegations. The narrative also attempted to portray the incident as religiously motivated, with claims that non-Muslim tourists were deliberately targeted.

As in previous incidents, the Indian media has continued to peddle baseless propaganda, raising further questions about the credibility of the official narrative.

India in 2019 revoked Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, resulting in complete occupation. The move also allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, leading to widespread anger and protests.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has expressed deep concern over the loss of lives of tourists in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Pakistan expressed its heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in IIOJK.

The Foreign Office spokesperson also expressed best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.