Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Thursday morning after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and took several other actions against Pakistan.
These steps follow a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) where 26 tourists were killed and 17 others injured. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, though no evidence has been shared publicly.
The emergency meeting was confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on social media. The NSC includes top leaders from the government, military, and intelligence and is responsible for making key decisions on national security and foreign policy.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press conference that his country is taking five strong measures in response to what they claim is cross-border terrorism. The most serious among them is the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, which he said will remain inactive until Pakistan stops supporting terrorism.
India has also shut down the Attari-Wagah border and asked Pakistani citizens currently in India to leave by May 1. It has banned Pakistanis from entering the country under the SAARC visa exemption scheme and ordered Pakistan’s military officials in New Delhi to leave within a week.
At the same time, India is reducing the number of Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi from 55 to 30 and pulling back its own defense staff from Islamabad.
In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the Pahalgam attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims. However, they did not respond to India’s allegations.
