“The Indus Water Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross border terrorism,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced at a late night briefing at the External Affairs Ministry.
He disclosed a package of other measures cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the prime minister, in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
The Integrated Check Post at the Attari border checkpost with Pakistan will be closed with immediate effect. Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under SAARC exception visas. Any Pakistani national in India has 48 hours to leave.
The defence, military, naval and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission are persona non grata and have one week to leave India along with support staff. India will withdraw its own defence advisers in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The overall strength of the high commissions will be reduced to 30 from 55.
The CCS reviewed the overall security situation and directed all forces to maintain high vigil. India will be unrelenting in its pursuit of the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The sponsors of this attack will also be held to account.
