Watch: Pakistan reacts to India’s measures post-Pahalgam, shuts airspace, trade, Wagah border post, visas
Pakistan on Thursday closed its air space to Indian airliners and suspended all trade as part of its response to India’s actions after the Pahalgam terror attack. It warned against any “misadventure”, indicating that it expects a military response from India over Tuesday’s brutal killing of 26 men in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists belonging to a group linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In this photo released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs the meeting of the National Security Committee, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, April 24, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AP
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Pakistan’s government also matched the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, including closing the Wagah border check post, declaring Indian defence, naval and air advisors persona non grata, and downsizing the High Commission from 55 to 30 personnel. In addition, Pakistan also cancelled the SAARC visa held by Indians, but made an exception for Sikh pilgrims; officials said the Kartarpur corridor to Pakistan will remain open for the present.
These decisions were announced after a meeting of Pakistan’s National Security Council (NSC) in Islamabad, chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and including senior Cabinet members and defence chiefs.
‘Unilateral and unjust’
A statement issued by the Pakistan Prime Minister’s office said that the NSC had expressed “concern over the loss of tourists’ lives” and “unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, but criticised the measures taken by India in response to the Pahalgam attack as “unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible and devoid of legal merit”.
Taking note of India’s decision to put the Indus Water Treaty “in abeyance”, the Pakistan NSC warned that any attempt to “stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty”, would be considered an Act of War. It also threatened to cancel other bilateral agreements with India, including the Shimla Accord of 1972, which had converted the ceasefire line into the Line of Control and rejected any third-party mediation in the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Pakistan’s statement, considerable harsher than expected, also accused India of “persecuting” Kashmiris and minorities, making a reference to the recent passage of the Waqf Amendment Act.
Ready for military action
In comments indicating that Pakistan anticipates that India’s diplomatic measures would be followed by military action, the NSC said that Pakistan’s armed forces are “fully capable and prepared to defend [Pakistan’s] sovereignty and territorial integrity against any misadventure”, referring to its aerial response to the Indian Air Force’s strikes on Balakot in February 2019.
The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to the latest comments by Pakistan’s government, including the decision to ban all trade. In the wake of the Balakot strikes and the amendment in Article 370 in 2019, former Pakistan PM Imran Khan had banned bilateral trade with India, but Pakistan had relaxed the ban in several categories including pharmaceuticals, sugar, and other products. In 2024, India-Pakistan trade had hit a 5-year high of $1.2 billion, jumping 127% from 2023.
Published – April 24, 2025 05:24 pm IST
