Pakistan Halts Trade and Agreements with India, Closes Airspace Amid Tensions

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Pakistan has suspended all bilateral agreements and trade with India and closed its airspace to Indian flights in response to India’s recent move to suspend the Indus Water Treaty. This decision follows the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, which Pakistan alleges is linked to India. According to a statement from Pakistan's National Security Council (NSC), the suspension will remain until India "desists from its manifested behaviour of fomenting terrorism inside Pakistan" and takes action against "transnational killings."

The NSC also rejected India's suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, asserting its importance for Pakistan's population of 240 million. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored the need for defensive measures against perceived threats. Officials emphasized that any attempts to alter the flow of water as per the treaty would be viewed as acts of war.

In further actions, Pakistan closed the Wagah border and revoked visas for Indian nationals except for Sikh pilgrims, following India's own visa restrictions. The escalating tensions risk deepening the longstanding rift between the two nations.

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