After Kashmir attack, India downgrades ties with Pakistan and suspends water treaty

The day after a deadly attack on tourists killed 26 people in the mountain town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, India announced it was closing a border with Pakistan, downgrading its diplomatic ties and suspending a crucial water treaty.

The Indus Waters Treaty lays out how India and Pakistan use water from six rivers that flow through both countries. It was negotiated by the World Bank in 1960 and affects hundreds of millions of people on either side of the border.

India's foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, told reporters on Tuesday night that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism." He added that no Pakistani national will be allowed into India anymore under a special visa program and asked such visa holders in India to leave the country within 48 hours.

Pakistan's military advisers serving in the country's high commission in New Delhi have a week to leave India. Misri said India will be withdrawing its counterparts from Islamabad too. These decisions, he said, were made in a meeting chaired by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia to return to India following news of Tuesday's attack.

Misri's announcement came hours after Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif denied Pakistani involvement in Tuesday's attack.

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Since gaining independence from the British Empire in 1947, India and Pakistan have engaged in four major wars: the First Kashmir War (1947-1948), the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the Kargil War (1999).

The First Kashmir War began in October 1947 when Pakistan feared that the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir would accede to India.

This conflict was primarily over the status of Kashmir, with Pakistan supporting tribal forces and India providing military assistance to the Maharaja.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 started following Pakistan’s Operation Gibraltar, which aimed to infiltrate forces into Kashmir to incite an insurgency against Indian rule.

This seventeen-day war saw significant casualties and the largest engagement of armored vehicles and tank battles since World War II.

The conflict ended with a ceasefire and the Tashkent Declaration, where both sides agreed to withdraw their troops from the disputed territory.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was unique as it was precipitated by the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). India intervened to support the independence movement in East Pakistan, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.

The Shimla Agreement later returned gained territories to Pakistan, but over 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war were taken.

The Kargil War in 1999 was the first conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations. It began when Pakistani forces infiltrated Indian-controlled territory in Kashmir. India responded with military operations, resulting in a decisive Indian victory.

Throughout these wars, the primary disputes have been over the Kashmir region and border conflicts. Both nations have also experienced numerous armed skirmishes and military standoffs.

Since the 1999 Kargil War, both countries have maintained a fragile ceasefire along the Line of Control, although tensions remain high.

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