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By Isabel van Brugen and Shane Croucher
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Pakistan warned India on Thursday that it was committing an "act of war" by suspending a landmark water-sharing treaty in response to a deadly terror attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The threat from Pakistan Prime Minister's Office followed a number of diplomatic measures imposed by New Dehli on Islamabad as tensions flare between the neighboring nuclear powers.
On Thursday, India's Ministry of External Affairs "strongly advised" its citizens to avoid travel to Pakistan and those already there to leave "at the earliest. Pakistani nationals in India also had their visas revoked.
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What Happened
The development comes in the aftermath of an attack on mostly tourists at a popular scenic meadow in the town of Pahalgam in the Himalayan mountains which killed at least 26 people and wounded 17 others.
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Parts of the disputed Kashmir region are administered by both India and Pakistan, but they both claim control of the area in its entirety. The two nuclear armed neighbors have fought over the territory since 1947, with the birth of India and Pakistan as independent states.
On Tuesday, the Resistance Front (TRF)—an offshoot of Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization—claimed responsibility for the attack, accusing the tourists of attempting to 'settle illegally'."
Pakistan has denied any links to Tuesday's attack, and India hasn't publicly released any evidence that proves its neighbor conducted it.
"In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect," India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
The foreign ministry said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals would be revoked from April 27, and "all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave before the expiry of visas, as now amended."
Medical visas issued to Pakistan citizens will be valid only until 29 April, the statement said.
It's part of a number of diplomatic measures from India targeting Pakistan in response to the attack. The main border crossing linking the two countries has been closed, and a landmark water-sharing treaty has been suspended.
Pakistan on Thursday also announced the closure of its airspace to India; suspended all trade with the country; suspended with immediate effect all visas issued to Indian nationals under an exemption scheme; reduced to 30 the number of diplomats in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad; and asked Indian defense, naval and air advisers to leave Pakistan before April 30.
India's attempts to link the attack with Pakistan are "frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic," Islamabad said, describing India's sweeping diplomatic measures as "unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible and devoid of legal merit."
On Wednesday, India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh pledged "not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil" as he hinted at military strikes.
Water Treaty Suspended
India said it would suspend the landmark Indus Waters Treaty—a decades-old water-sharing agreement that has endured two wars and a major border conflict in 1999. Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the treaty has allowed the two countries to share the waters of river system, and is vital for agriculture.
Pakistan's National Security Committee said any attempt suspend the treaty "will be considered as an Act of War."
What We Know About Suspects
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Indian authorities have so far released sketches of three suspects, named by local media as Asif Shaikh, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. They are believed to be members of TRF.
On Wednesday, security agencies said they used the codenames Moosa, Yunus, and Asif to carry out the attack. The Indian Army is leading a manhunt to find the trio.
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