The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which serves as the nation’s foremost authority on matters of national security, has implemented stringent measures against Pakistan in response to the cross-border connections identified during the investigation of the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, including one foreign national. In a significant move, India has opted to indefinitely suspend the long-standing Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, potentially halting or redirecting the water flow from the Indus River and its tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab. These rivers are crucial for Pakistan’s water supply, affecting millions of its citizens. The treaty, established on September 19, 1960, was negotiated between India and Pakistan with the assistance of the World Bank and has endured through three wars between the two nations in 1965, 1971, and 1999, but is now rendered inactive. During the announcement of this decision, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri highlighted the terrorist attack’s cross-border connections, noting that it occurred following the successful conduct of elections in the Union Territory and its ongoing economic development. In response to the treaty’s suspension, Water Resources Minister CR Paatil remarked that similar ultimatums had been issued to Pakistan in the past by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, emphasizing that previous actions were taken and reiterating that the perpetrators of this attack would not escape accountability. He further endorsed the Cabinet’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty as a commendable action.
