Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated following a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists. India has blamed the assault on Pakistan-backed militants and taken sweeping retaliatory actions, while Pakistan has denied involvement and responded with its own countermeasures.
India revoked visas for all Pakistani nationals, ordered those already in the country to leave once their visas expire, shut the only operational land border, reduced diplomatic staffing levels, and suspended the Indus Water Treaty, a decades-old agreement governing shared rivers. Indian authorities also expelled three Pakistani defense and naval advisers from its high commission in New Delhi.
In response, Pakistan expelled several Indian defense advisers and staff from its embassy in Islamabad, suspended all trade with India, and closed its airspace to Indian carriers. These decisions followed a meeting of Pakistan’s National Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which also warned India against any attempt to alter water flows, calling such an act a potential declaration of war.
Police in Kashmir have identified three suspects linked to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, two of whom are believed to be Pakistani nationals. Lashkar-e-Taiba is designated as a terrorist organization by India, the United States, and the United Nations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to hunt down and “punish” the perpetrators and their backers. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh warned of consequences for any conspirators. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar promised a “tit-for-tat kinetic response” if India launches military action.
