“Indus Treaty Breach Will Be Act of War,” says Pak as Tensions Escalate with India

Islamabad: In a sharply escalatory move, Pakistan’s National Security Committee convened an emergency meeting on Thursday and announced sweeping countermeasures mirroring India’s response to the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Facing international isolation and rising domestic pressure, Islamabad suspended all visas to Indian citizens, including those under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, and reduced Indian diplomatic presence in the country to 30 officials—a tit-for-tat move following similar Indian decisions just a day prior.

But the most serious threat came as Pakistan responded furiously to India’s decision to halt the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 agreement mediated by the World Bank. Terming any disruption in river water flow as an “Act of War”, Pakistan warned of retaliation “across the complete spectrum of national power.”

“Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty… will be considered an Act of War and responded with full force,” read the official statement.

Pakistan’s water vulnerability is acute. With the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers flowing in from India, any disruption threatens water availability for tens of millions of people and could plunge the already water-stressed nation into crisis.

In a major diplomatic escalation, Islamabad also declared it will “hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to the Simla Agreement, in abeyance.” Signed in 1972 post the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Simla Agreement underpins the current ceasefire line—now known as the Line of Control (LoC). Suspending this accord would cast serious doubts on the existing border framework between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Full List of Pakistan’s Countermeasures:

• Suspension of all Indian visas, including SAARC exemptions, with 48-hour exit order for Indian nationals (except Sikh pilgrims).
• Closure of the Wagah Border Post to all cross-border transit effective immediately.
• Ban on Indian-owned or operated aircraft in Pakistani airspace.
• Suspension of all trade with India, including transit to/from third countries.
• Reduction of Indian diplomatic staff to 30 at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s statement concluded with a warning that its “armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity.”

India has not officially responded to Islamabad’s threat regarding the Simla Agreement or the declaration of water diversion as an act of war. However, the situation marks one of the sharpest escalations between the two countries in recent years and raises fresh concerns over stability in the South Asian region.