ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) on Thursday decided to drag India to international forums over the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam false flag operation.
It was also decided in the extraordinary meeting to shut the Wagha Border with India. The development came a day earlier. India announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect—a move Pakistan termed a violation of the treaty that governs the distribution of water from the six rivers of the Indus Basin.
The extraordinary NSC meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by cabinet ministers, Army Chief General Asim Munir, service chiefs, intelligence heads, and other key civil and military officials.
Pakistan also decided to suspend SAARC visa exemptions for India.
The NSC strongly condemned India’s baseless allegations after the Pahalgam incident and decided to approach international forums regarding the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The Committee also approved the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formally respond to India’s aggression.
“It is not within India’s rights to unilaterally terminate or suspend the treaty, which was brokered by the World Bank in 1960,” the NSC stated.
On Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced that the Attari-Wagah border crossing would be closed, and Pakistani nationals would no longer be able to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption.
“The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect,” India’s top diplomat Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, signed on September 19, 1960, with the facilitation of the World Bank. It governs the use of the Indus River system’s waters, which flow through both countries.
