In the wake of the recent Pahalgam attack, which resulted in the deaths of 26 men in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India has taken several retaliatory measures against Pakistan.
Among these, the Indian government has blocked the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Government of Pakistan within its territory.
The account now displays a message stating it has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.
The decision to block the account follows the attack in Baisaran Valley, near Pahalgam, where militants opened fire on tourists, leading to significant casualties.
At least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday in the scenic area of Jammu and Kashmir. The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.
It was the worst attack on civilians since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in IIOJK. In addition to blocking the social media account, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a long-standing water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
Blaming cross-border involvement in the attack, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday said New Delhi would immediately suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
The treaty, mediated by the World Bank, split the Indus River and its tributaries between the neighbours and regulated the sharing of water. It had so far withstood even wars between the neighbours.
Pakistan is heavily dependent on water flowing downstream from this river system from IIOJK for its hydropower and irrigation needs. Suspending the treaty would allow India to deny Pakistan its share of the waters.
India closed the only open land border crossing point between the two countries and said that those who have crossed into India can return through the point before May 1.
With no direct flights operating between the two countries, the move severs all transport links between them.
Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under special South Asian visas, all such existing visas were cancelled and Pakistanis in India under such visas had 48 hours to leave, Misri said.
All defence advisers in the Pakistani mission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and given a week to leave. India will pull out its own defence advisers in Pakistan and also reduce staff size at its mission in Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said.
