In a dramatic upsurge of diplomatic tensions, Pakistan suspended issuing visas to Indian nationals after a deadly terrorist strike in the Pahalgam area of Indian-occupied Kashmir. The terrorist strike, which killed 26 civilians, including 25 Indian tourists and a Nepali national, has increased the already strained relations between the two nuclear neighbors.
The Pahalgam Attack: A Catalyst for Diplomatic Fallout
On the 22nd of April 2025, armed men fired at a convoy of tourists within the Baisaran Valley close to Pahalgam, a known tourist destination in the Anantnag region of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack claimed the lives of 26 people and left more than 20 injured, the highest number of civilian casualties within the region since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. A lesser-known militant organization, the Resistance Front (TRF), took responsibility for the attack. Indian authorities have blamed Pakistan for giving aid to the attackers, something which Islamabad strongly denies.
India’s Response: Diplomatic and Strategic Steps
India has taken a sequence of actions in the wake of the attack to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and economically:
Revocation of Visa: India revoked all the visas given to Pakistani citizens and cancelled issuing fresh visas under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) programme.
Expulsions from Diplomatic Posts: New Delhi has expelled the diplomats from Pakistan, including the defence advisers, and scaled down its own high commission’s staff in Islamabad from 55 to 30 individuals.
Border Closure: Attari–Wagah border crossing, the sole land border between the two nations, has been shut down indefinitely.
Indus Waters Treaty Suspension: India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a key agreement that regulates river water sharing between the two countries.
Pakistan’s Retaliatory Measures
Pakistan has reacted to India’s measures by instituting its own series of countermeasures:
Visa Suspension: Islamabad suspended the grant of visas to Indian citizens and directed all Indian nationals in Pakistan to depart the country within 48 hours.
Airspace Closure: Pakistan has shut its airspace to Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, cutting air traffic between the two nations.
Suspension of Trade: All trade between India and Pakistan has been suspended, adding to the strain on economic relations.
Diplomatic Downgrading: India’s diplomats were expelled and the 1972 Simla Agreement suspended by Pakistan, an agreement which provides the foundation of diplomacy between both nations.
International Concerns and Regional Stability
The sudden development of tensions has evoked concerns within the international community. Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, specifically, has attracted particular concern owing to its implications for regional water security. Pakistan has threatened that any effort by India to divert the flow of rivers covered under the treaty would be an act of war.
Observers fear that the current trajectory of retaliatory measures could lead to a broader conflict, especially given the history of military confrontations between the two nations over the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistan’s suspension of visas is a telling breakdown in India-Pakistan relations, highlighting the vulnerability of diplomatic relations in the context of security threats. With both nations stumbling through this crisis, the global community waits anxiously for de-escalation that will stem further instability in South Asia.
