Staff Reporter
Islamabad: Following a cabinet meeting chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and the closure of the Attari check post.During a press conference, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also declared the cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, instructing those currently in India to leave the country within 48 hours.The Indian government took the decision in the wake of the deaths of 26 tourists in Pahalgam when gunmen opened fire on visitors in a popular destination in occupied Kashmir a day ago.Additionally, India has suspended visas issued under the SAARC framework for Pakistani citizens.The spokesperson further stated that Indian nationals residing in Pakistan must return via the Attari border crossing by May 1.India has also declared all military, naval, and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission as “persona non grata” and recalled its own defence attaché from Pakistan.The entire staff of Pakistan’s High Commission in India has been given seven days to return to Pakistan. Furthermore, India has announced a reduction in its diplomatic staff in Pakistan from 55 to 30 by May 1.It bears mentioning that India kept its tradition of levelling baseless allegations against Pakistan whenever it faces any terrorism and its propaganda machinery started churning out accusations of Islamabad’s involvement in the occupied Kashmir incident.According to sources, the Indian media has been using such attacks — without evidence — to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiments. In reality, these accusations are often pre-meditated and used to spew venom against Pakistan. Terrorism has no religion, but India consistently tries to associate it with Muslims and Pakistan.The Indian social media accounts started tweeting with the hashtag #PakSponsoredTerror, within 30 minutes of the Pahalgam attack. Moreover, BJP leaders JP Nadda and Amit Shah posted tweets about the incident within half an hour after the incident, sources added.
