India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, day after 26 people, including tourists, were gunned down in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The move is among the five big punitive moves taken by New Delhi against Islamabad in the wake of the terror attacks.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960. The pact was signed between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank brokering the agreement. The treaty withstood three wars between India and Pakistan – in 1965, 1971, and 1999, but is now suspended indefinitely.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The Indus system comprises the main river, Indus, and five left bank tributaries, i.e Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab. Kabul, the right bank tributary, does not flow through India.
The Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej are together called Eastern rivers, while the Chenab, the Jhelum and the Indus are called Western Rivers. Its waters are critical to both India and Pakistan.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “In the briefing to the Cabinet Committee on Security or CCS, the country’s highest decision-making body on national security, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in the Union Territory and its steady progress towards economic growth and development.”
Recognising the seriousness of this terrorist attack, the 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 Integrated Check Post Attari-Wagah border will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025.
Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India.
The defence or military officials – Naval and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own defence – navy, air advisers from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled with immediate effect. Five support staff of the service advisers will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions immediately.
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The overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effected by May 1, 2025.
