On 22 April 2025, 26 people were killed in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in Anantnag district of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).[1] Within minutes of the attack, Indian media outlets began peddling an anti-Pakistan narrative laced with intense war-mongering.[2] For its part, the Indian government pinned the blame on Pakistan without conducting any investigations into the incident and presenting any credible evidence. Subsequently, New Delhi announced a slew of measures: unilaterally and illegally holding the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in ‘abeyance’; closing Integrated Check Post Attari; cancelling the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and expulsion of Pakistani citizens; annulling the posts of defence advisors at Pakistan High Commission while further reducing the overall strength of the two High Commissions from 55 to 30.[3]
Pakistan firmly rejected the Indian allegations as well as New Delhi’s unilateral and illegal step of suspending IWT and announced its own counter-measures, including stopping of all trade with India including to and from any third country through Pakistan, closing of airspace, and further reducing diplomatic presence in the two capitals. Islamabad also stated that it reserved the right to hold bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, in abeyance. Subsequently, while rejecting Indian allegations of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, Islamabad declared its openness to any “neutral and transparent” investigation.[4]
