India Takes Diplomatic Measures Against Pakistan After Kashmir Attack
India has taken a series of punitive diplomatic measures against Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after a deadly attack on civilians in Kashmir. These measures include suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, closing the main land border crossing, and reducing diplomatic staff. The Indian Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, stated that the treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan abandons its support for cross-border terrorism. The border crossing at Attari-Wagah will also be closed with immediate effect, although those with valid travel documents may return before May 1. India has also ordered Pakistan’s defense attaches and other military officials in New Delhi to leave within a week, and will withdraw its own defense, navy, and air advisors from Pakistan.
India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, vowed a swift response to those responsible for the attack, which killed 26 men at a tourist hotspot in the disputed Himalayan region. Singh did not identify those he believes are responsible for the killings, but said that “India’s government will take every step that may be necessary and appropriate.” The attack is part of a larger insurgency in Kashmir, where rebels are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the region and claims it in full.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that those responsible for the “heinous act” will “be brought to justice.” The attack posed a “very serious risk of a new crisis between India and Pakistan, and probably the most serious risk of a crisis since the brief military conflict that happened in 2019.” The worst attack in recent years was in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The attack came a day after Modi met US Vice President JD Vance in New Delhi. The US President Donald Trump called Modi to offer “full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack.” China, which neighbors the troubled region, offered its “sincere sympathies” to the families of those killed. India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019. Authorities in recent years have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing in winter and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India. Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, mostly domestic visitors.
Reference : https://www.terradaily.com/reports/India_takes_diplomatic_measures_against_Pakistan_after_Kashmir_attack_999.html
