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Pakistan on Thursday said it would suspend the 1972 Simla Agreement with India, a day after New Delhi decided to freeze the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, The Indian Express reported.
“Pakistan shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India including but not limited to Simla Agreement in abeyance, till India desists from its manifested behaviour of fomenting terrorism inside Pakistan; trans-national killings; and non-adherence to international law and UN Resolutions on Kashmir,” the Pakistan prime minister’s office said.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had signed the agreement after the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The two countries held that the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, established following the December 17, 1971 ceasefire, would be respected by both sides.
The agreement stated: “Pending the final settlement of any of the problems between the two countries, neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation and both shall prevent… any acts detrimental to the maintenance of peaceful and harmonious relations.”
On Thursday, Pakistan also suspended all trade with India, including via third countries, with immediate effect.
The Pakistani government announced the closure of its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and the shutdown of the Wagah border crossing. New Delhi had also announced that the Attari-Wagah border crossing would be closed with immediate effect.
All cross-border transit through Wagah has been suspended, except for those already in transit who must return by April 30.
Islamabad called India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty an “act of war” and warned that it would respond with “full force across the complete spectrum of National Power”. New Delhi said it would suspend the treaty till Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” stopped its support for cross-border terrorism.
India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960 with the World Bank as an additional signatory, to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably between the two countries.
Islamabad also suspended all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme visas issued to Indian nationals – except for Sikh pilgrims – and instructed those currently in Pakistan under the scheme to leave the country within 48 hours.
The SVES enables travel for select groups of individuals like dignitaries, judges of higher courts, parliamentarians, senior officials, businessmen, journalists and sportsmen without a visa.
Earlier on Thursday, India said that visas of Pakistani citizens in the country stand revoked from April 27 and they must leave the country before then. Medical visas issued to Pakistanis will be valid till April 29.
However, the decision will not apply to long-term visas issued to Pakistani Hindus.
India needs to provide proof, says Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday demanded that India needs to present evidence about Islamabad’s alleged involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack.
“India has time and again played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan’s involvement [in Pahalgam], please share it with us and the world,” Dar was quoted as saying by Dawn.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif highlighted that while India had not directly accused Pakistan of involvement, the Indian media and other parties were holding the country responsible.
“We have categorically condemned this [attack],” Asif further said. “We condemn all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world without any hesitation, be it in India.”
Twenty-six men were killed when militants opened fire at tourists, most of whom were from outside the state. Seventeen others were injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of the dead were Hindu.
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