Islamabad, Apr 24 (UNI) Pakistan today warned that any move by India to divert the flow of the Indus river waters will be considered as “an act of war”.
This was decided at the National Security Committee (NSC) -- the top civil-military decision-making body — meeting chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday.
As part of its immediate response to India’s downgrading of ties, the Pakistani government announced the restriction of the Indian High Commission’s diplomatic staff in Islamabad to a maximum of 30 personnel, effective April 30.
Pakistan has also closed its airspace to all Indian-owned or operated flights with immediate effect.
The committee also decided to suspend all forms of trade with India, including those routed through third countries.
Furthermore, it announced the immediate closure of the Wagah Border crossing.
The NSC vowed that Pakistan would respond to India’s hostile actions with full national strength, declaring that the nation and its armed forces are fully prepared to counter any form of aggression, Geo News reported.
Islamabad's response comes after India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) laid out five measures which New Delhi has termed as "decisive response to cross-border terrorism".
India yesterday announced suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, facilitated by the World Bank.
It gives India control over the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) of the Indus basin while it gives Pakistan authority over the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab).
The other measures announced by India include the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post Attari as well as the issuance of a deadline for Pakistanis to leave the country before May 1, 2025.
Also, Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are now deemed cancelled.
Any Pakistani national currently in India under an SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India.
India announced the moves following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were gunned down by Pakistan-linked terrorists.
UNI RN