Pakistan retaliates with airspace ban, trade halt, and "act of war" warning over Indus water dispute

On April 24, Pakistan unveiled a series of firm countermeasures in response to India's sweeping punitive actions following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals. 

The decisions, made during an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), include an airspace ban on Indian airlines, the complete suspension of bilateral trade, and a stern warning that any disruption of the Indus River’s water flows would be considered an "act of war," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by key cabinet ministers, security officials, and intelligence officers, came in response to India’s aggressive steps, which included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), reducing diplomatic representation, closing the Attari border crossing, and cancelling Saarc visa privileges for Pakistanis.

Pakistan strongly rejected India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of water from the Indus River system. "Pakistan vehemently rejects the Indian announcement to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. The Treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension," the NSC stated.

"Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people, and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs," the committee emphasised.

Attorney General Mansoor Awan reiterated that any alteration of the treaty could only occur through an agreement between the two nations, adding that any attempt to divert or stop water flows would be regarded as an act of war.

Pakistan’s response also included retaliatory actions, such as the immediate closure of the Wagah border crossing, halting all cross-border transit, and revoking visas for Indian nationals under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Exceptions were made for Sikh religious pilgrims, but all other Indian nationals were instructed to leave within 48 hours. Additionally, Indian defence, naval, and air advisers in Islamabad were declared persona non grata and ordered to leave by April 30.

The NSC further suspended all trade with India, including indirect trade via third countries, and closed Pakistan’s airspace to all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar characterised these measures as "tit-for-tat," emphasising that Pakistan would mirror any actions taken by India. "These are tit-for-tat actions, minimum response. Whatever they do to us, will be done to them," he stated.

As diplomatic tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours continue to rise, analysts warn that the situation may be nearing a breaking point. With limited space for de-escalation, the NSC rejected India’s “blame game,” urging New Delhi to provide evidence to support its accusations against Pakistan. "India should refrain from its reflexive blame game and cynical, staged, managed exploitation of incidents like Pahalgam to further its narrow political agenda. Such tactics serve only to inflame tensions and obstruct the path to peace and stability in the region," the statement read.

Pakistan reiterated its long-standing position that Jammu and Kashmir remains an unresolved dispute on the United Nations agenda, accusing India of exacerbating the conflict through its heavy-handed tactics in the region. "The violence in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an organic backlash to decades of state oppression, illegal demographic engineering, and denial of fundamental rights to the Kashmiri people," the NSC added.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that India was already engaged in a "low-intensity conflict" against Pakistan. "If they seek to increase the scale, we will respond and we will not come under international pressure," he said. He also cautioned that intelligence reports suggested India might be preparing for an escalation. "There should be no doubt — we will defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Asif said.

Highlighting the potential consequences of an intensified conflict, he warned, "If even one Pakistani citizen is harmed in an Indian-perpetrated or Indian-orchestrated attack, we will make Indians pay through their noses."

By Aghakazim Guliyev