India has called in Pakistan’s top diplomat in New Delhi for a meeting after a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, which has worsened the already tense relationship between the two countries. On Wednesday, India announced measures to lower its ties with Pakistan after militants killed 26 people at a popular tourist spot in Kashmir, marking the deadliest attack on civilians in nearly 20 years.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the attack was linked to cross-border involvement and announced that India would suspend a 60-year-old agreement on sharing river water with Pakistan. India also decided to close the only land crossing between the two countries. The Indian government will also withdraw its defence representatives in Pakistan and reduce the number of staff at its embassy in Islamabad from 55 to 30.
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India’s government has informed Pakistan’s embassy that all defence officials working there are now unwelcome and must leave within a week.
In response, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a meeting with opposition leaders on Thursday to discuss the government’s actions following the attack. Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet with the National Security Committee to plan their response to the situation.
The water-sharing agreement, called the Indus Water Treaty, divides the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries. This treaty has survived despite several wars between India and Pakistan, but now, India has decided to pause it.
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Before this latest incident, India and Pakistan’s diplomatic relations were already strained, especially since India changed the special status of Kashmir in 2019. The recent attack is a major setback for India, which had hoped that revoking Kashmir’s special status would bring peace and progress to the region.
