Islamabad puts Simla Accord on hold, closes airspace for Indian flights
Islamabad, April 24: Pakistan on Thursday put the Simla Agreement and other bilateral accords with India on hold, suspended all trade, closed its airspace for Indian airlines and said any attempt to divert the water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an Act of War.
Islamabad also closed the Wagah border post, cancelled visas given to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and asked military advisers at the Indian High Commission to leave-mirroring steps taken the previous evening by India over the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Pakistani announcements followed a meeting here of its National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in response to the Indian decision on Wednesday to suspend the Indus Water Treaty and downgrade diplomatic ties with Islamabad.
As tensions escalated, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar postponed his visit next week to Bangladesh. The stock market in Pakistan saw a sharp dip on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch briefed a group of Islamabad-based heads of mission and diplomats on the evolving situation following the Pahalgam attack, sharing the outcomes of the National Security Committee meeting, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
A statement issued after the Islamabad meeting, which included key minister and the three services chiefs, said Pakistan’s armed forces “remain fully capable and prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any misadventure”.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said there were reports that India was planning to target different cities through terrorist acts. “If our citizens are targeted then Indian people will also suffer,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Pakistan declared the Indian military advisers at New Delhi’s mission in Islamabad persona non grata, asking them to leave by April 30, replicating the Indian move. Their support staff would also leave.
The strength of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad will be reduced to 30 diplomats and staff members, the same as that of Pakistan in India.
It alleged that Indian attempts to link Pakistan to attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are “frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic”. (PTI)