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India has imposed a second set of measures against Pakistan, including curbing the flow of water through the Baglihar dam and banning the docking of ships owned by the country, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
This came after Pakistan on Saturday tested its surface-to-surface ballistic missile, known as the Abdali Weapon System, with a 450-km range as part of its military drill “Exercise Indus”.
Twenty-six persons were killed and 17 were injured in the attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The attack took place in the Baisaran area near the town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district. Militants fired at tourists, most of whom were from outside the state. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those who died were Hindu.
Following the terror attack, India and Pakistan have taken a series of diplomatic measures against each other.
Baglihar dam
An unidentified official told The Indian Express that the gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district have been lowered to restrict water flow to Pakistan’s Punjab as a “short-term punitive action”.
“By doing this, even if the choke is for a short while, we demonstrate that we will take coercive steps,” The Indian Express quoted the official as saying. “The Chenab river water irrigates Punjab farmlands, and Pakistan needs to realise we mean to punish them on all fronts.”
A day after the Pahalgam attack, India said that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty would remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” stopped its support for cross-border terrorism.
India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 with the World Bank as an additional signatory.
The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably among the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, were allocated to India and that from the three western rivers – Chenab, Indus and Jhelum – to Pakistan.
The treaty permitted both countries to use the other’s rivers for certain purposes, such as small hydroelectric projects that require little or no water storage. It allowed for the harnessing of the Chenab, which is one of the western rivers in the Indus Water system, for power generation.
Docking of ships
Hours after the Pakistan tested its surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Saturday, India banned the docking of ships bearing the flag of Pakistan at ports in the country, according to The Indian Express.
No Indian-flagged vessel would visit any ports in Pakistan.
The restrictions were imposed under Section 411 of the 1958 Merchant Shipping Act, which grants the government the authority to direct ships to fulfil the goals of national interest or the interest of Indian shipping, the Hindustan Times reported.
“A ship bearing the flag of Pakistan shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and an Indian-flagged ship shall not visit any ports of Pakistan,” the Hindustan Times quoted an order from the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways as saying.
“A ship bearing the flag of Pakistan shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and an Indian-flagged ship shall not visit any ports of Pakistan,” it added.
The action was taken in the interest of “safety of Indian assets, cargo, and connected infrastructure”, as well as to further the objectives of “Indian shipping,” the order said. Any exemption from the order would be “examined and decided on a case-to-case basis,” it added.
In response, Pakistan later in the day banned Indian flag carriers from using its ports, NDTV reported. Pakistan sad it took the decision “in order to safeguard maritime sovereignty, economic interest and national security”.
Suspension of mail, parcels
New Delhi on Saturday also suspended the exchange mail and parcels under all categories from Pakistan through air and surface routes.
The Department of Posts, which operates under the Ministry of Communication, issued the order. “The Government of India has decided to suspend exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes,” the order said.
Stopping of imports
On Friday, India banned the import of goods originating from or transiting through Pakistan amid the strained diplomatic ties. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification said that the ban would take effect immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” the department said.
The department, which reports to the Union commerce ministry, is responsible for administering laws relating to foreign trade.
Earlier, New Delhi suspended visa services for Pakistani citizens and said all valid visas would be revoked from April 27, except medical visas, which remained valid until April 29. Pakistani citizens in India under the SAARC visa scheme were given 48 hours to leave.
At the end of the deadline, 537 Pakistanis had left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in Punjab.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs also advised its citizens against travelling to Pakistan and urged those already there to return.
A day after the attack, India declared Pakistan’s defence, military, naval and air advisers in New Delhi persona non grata and said it would withdraw its defence advisers from Islamabad.
On Wednesday, India shut its airspace to all aircraft registered, operated or leased by Pakistan.
Pakistan said it would suspend the 1972 Simla Agreement signed with India in the aftermath of the 1971 war. Among other features, the agreement resulted in the recognition of the Line of Control that serves as the de facto boundary between the countries in much of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistan Army has also repeatedly violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control by opening small arms fire since the terror attack, prompting retaliatory action from the Indian Army.
In February 2021, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control after discussions between the two countries’ director generals of military operations. The two countries reaffirmed a commitment made during the 2003 ceasefire agreement to address “each other’s core issues and concerns”.
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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