Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has announced that the country’s civilian and military leadership will convene on Thursday to discuss and formulate a response to India’s recent actions against Islamabad. These steps, which include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, were taken by India in the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
India’s government reacted swiftly to the terror attack, carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), by placing the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance with immediate effect. The government also shut down the integrated check post at the Attari-Wagah border and downgraded diplomatic relations with Pakistan.
Minister Asif confirmed, “A session of the National Security Committee will be held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” adding that the decisions made during the meeting would serve as “an appropriate response to the Indian steps.”
According to a PTI report, the meeting in Islamabad will be attended by top military officials and key members of Pakistan’s cabinet. These high-level meetings are typically convened when national security issues require urgent attention and deliberation.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned early from his state visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following the terror attack in Pahalgam. Upon his return, Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which focused on the cross-border elements of the attack. A government statement emphasized that the attack occurred soon after the peaceful conduct of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and amid ongoing economic development initiatives.
In addition to suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and closing the Attari border post, India also announced the suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals. This move requires any Pakistani citizen currently in India on an SVES visa to leave the country within 48 hours.
