ISLAMABAD: In a fiery tit-for-tat move, Pakistan on Thursday pulled the plug on trade, tore up bilateral deals, and shut down its airspace to India – retaliating hard after New Delhi unleashed a flurry of aggressive actions over a deadly strike in Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a high-stakes National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, with Chief of Army Chief (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir and top military and civilian brass at the table, where the forum dissected India’s rhetoric over the Pahalgam flare-up and mapped out Islamabad’s next steps amid the spiraling standoff.
In a strongly-worded statement after the meeting, the NSC warned India to stop its “reflexive blame games” and accused it of exploiting bloodshed for political theater.
India suspends Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan with immediate effect
The forum also condemned India’s attempt to ditch the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it “illegal and unacceptable”. The NSC vowed to defend Pakistan’s rights under international law, declaring that any effort to divert Pakistan’s share of water would be treated as an act of war.
“Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power,” the NSC warned.
Citing India’s “reckless conduct” and violations of international norms, the NSC announced a review of all bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, due to India’s continued interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and its failure to honour UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir.
The NSC also announced a series of sweeping retaliatory measures against India, including the closure of a key border crossing, expulsion of military officials, and a complete halt to trade and air links, amid a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions.
The decisions, taken during the high-level NSC meeting include the immediate closure of the Wagah Border to all cross-border movement, except for the return of Indian nationals previously allowed to enter Pakistan. Those individuals have until April 30 to exit.
It also said that it was revoking all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) privileges granted to Indian citizens, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, who have been given 48 hours to leave the country.
In a diplomatic blow, Pakistan declared India’s Defence, Naval, and Air advisers posted in Islamabad as persona non grata, ordering them and their support staff to depart by the end of the month.
The Indian High Commission’s diplomatic staff will also be reduced to 30 personnel by April 30, said the statement.
The NSC also announced the closure of its airspace to all Indian-operated or Indian-owned aircraft. Additionally, the NSC declared a complete suspension of trade with India, including through third countries.
The NSC reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance against terrorism in all forms. It rejected Indian attempts to implicate Pakistan in the Pahalgam incident without credible investigation or evidence, calling such claims “frivolous” and “devoid of logic.”
“In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic,” it added.
The committee referred to the case of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer convicted in Pakistan, as proof of Indian involvement in subversive activities on Pakistani soil.
“The Pakistani nation remains committed to peace,” the statement added, “but it will not permit any transgression of its sovereignty or dignity.”
The NSC stressed that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and remains one of the frontline states in the global fight against terror, having suffered significant human and economic losses.
It accused India of attempting to inject volatility along Pakistan’s eastern border in order to distract from its own alleged links to terrorism.
“India’s worn-out narrative of victimhood cannot obfuscate its own culpability in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan’s soil, nor can it distract attention from its systematic and state-sponsored oppression and human rights violations” in occupied Kashmir, the statement said.
The NSC also condemned what it termed India’s “state-sponsored extraterritorial assassinations,” calling them a violation of international law. It vowed to pursue all individuals involved in such actions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025