Pahalgam terror attack: India temporarily suspends Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan

New Delhi: In a series of unprecedented diplomatic measures following the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 Indian tourists, the Government of India has temporarily suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "Recognising the seriousness of this terrorist attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decided upon the following measures- The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

The 1960 Indus Water Treaty gave India and Pakistan three Himalayan rivers each and the right to hydropower and irrigation resources.

With this move, India will halt the flow of water from the Indus River and its tributaries — the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj — which serve as crucial water sources for Pakistan, affecting the daily lives of tens of millions of its citizens.

Alongside the suspension of the decades-old water-sharing agreement, India has also cancelled all visa clearances for Pakistani nationals with immediate effect. These sweeping steps mark a significant escalation in India’s diplomatic stance towards Islamabad, as anger grows over Pakistan-based terror networks being linked to the latest attack. 

The Centre has also declared all Pakistani military attachés stationed in the country as persona non grata, Vikram Misri said on Wednesday.

Terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since Pulwama.