Key Takeaways
• India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, affecting millions in Pakistan reliant on the river for agriculture.
• The Attari border closed immediately, with remaining crossings allowed until May 1, 2025, halting all trade and travel.
• All SAARC visa exemptions for Pakistani citizens in India were canceled, requiring them to leave within 48 hours.
On April 23, 2025, India 🇮🇳 announced some of its most serious actions against Pakistan 🇵🇰 in recent years, following a terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir that left 26 people dead, including many tourists. This set of measures marks a deep change in how the two countries, which already have a rocky relationship, deal with each other. These actions include suspending the Indus Water Treaty, closing the Attari border, cancelling visas, expelling diplomats, and cutting down the number of people working in their embassies. Each of these steps, taken together, will affect not only the two governments but also countless ordinary people, travelers, students, and businesses.
What Sparked India’s Actions?
The direct reason for these actions was the attack that happened in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. In that attack, terrorists opened fire on tourists visiting Baisaran valley. Twenty-four of those killed were tourists from fourteen different Indian states, one was from Nepal 🇳🇵, and one was a local pony handler. This attack stands out as the most deadly in the region since the Pulwama bombing in 2019, which took 40 lives.
After hearing the news, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met immediately. Within hours—by April 23, 2025—they announced new measures that show just how serious the Indian government considers the situation. As reported by VisaVerge.com, this marks one of the strongest diplomatic responses from India 🇮🇳 in many years.
Major Changes Announced
1. Suspension of the Indus Water Treaty
Perhaps the biggest surprise came when India said it would suspend the Indus Water Treaty right away. This treaty started in 1960 and has always worked—even during times of war or when political relations were very bad. The Indus Water Treaty helps both countries decide who gets how much water from the Indus River and its smaller branches, which is very important for Pakistan’s 🇵🇰 farms and drinking water needs.
India’s official statement said this suspension would last “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” This means the Indian government will not go back to sharing water, as previously agreed, unless it believes Pakistan has permanently stopped any support for attacks across the border.
This might be the first time the Indus Water Treaty has been suspended since it was made. For millions of people in Pakistan 🇵🇰, especially farmers relying on river water to grow crops, this can quickly become a big problem. For India 🇮🇳, it’s a way to put pressure on Pakistan by using a vital resource.
2. Closing the Attari Border
The Attari border crossing is the main way many people and goods move between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰. Trade, tourists, family visits, and even cross-border trucks all use this path. India’s announcement included the immediate closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post. From now, no regular crossings will take place.
There is a little time left for those already in India or Pakistan with the right documents to return home—they have until May 1, 2025, to cross at Attari. After that, this physical link between the countries disappears for now. This closure does not just stop people. It also freezes trade and stops easy travel for families divided by the border.
3. Stopping Visas
India 🇮🇳 also announced it will not allow any Pakistani citizens to enter India using the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Even visas that were already given under this program have been canceled. All Pakistanis now in India on these visas have 48 hours to leave the country.
The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme made it possible for certain people—such as diplomats, journalists, and others with regular jobs needing travel—to visit without the usual paperwork. Canceling these visas means even these special travelers can no longer visit. Anyone who had plans to study, attend a conference, or meet family must now cancel or postpone those plans.
For those seeking information on India’s visa rules, the official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs provides the most up-to-date details about visas and related policies.
4. Expelling Military Officials and Reducing Embassy Staff
India 🇮🇳 has declared that all Pakistani military attachés—these are military officers who serve in embassies and work as links between the two countries’ armed forces—must leave. India has also called back its own military attachés from its embassy in Islamabad.
On top of that, both countries will sharply cut the staff working in their embassies and high commissions from 55 to only 30 people each, and this must happen before May 1, 2025. Reducing diplomatic staff means there will be fewer people to handle visas, help citizens in trouble, or talk to government leaders from the other side.
5. Stronger Security and Investigations
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri explained the government’s belief that there were “cross-border linkages” to the Pahalgam attack. He said that all forces should keep watch and that those behind the attack would be “brought to justice and their sponsors held to account.” This shows that security is going to get even tighter, and officials in both countries are likely to keep a close watch on visitors, phone calls, and even the movement of goods at all crossing points.
Pakistan’s 🇵🇰 Reaction
Following India’s announcements, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an urgent meeting of the National Security Committee. At this point, Pakistan has not yet made any big moves of its own, but history suggests that Pakistan will announce some strong responses soon.
Back in 2019, after India made changes to Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties and stopped almost all trade with India. This pattern suggests that new restrictions or further suspension of communication between the two sides could follow soon.
What Do These Actions Mean for Travelers and Businesses?
These changes have serious effects beyond governments and diplomats. Here’s what people most affected should know:
- Tourists and Students: Anyone from Pakistan 🇵🇰 who was planning a tour in India 🇮🇳, or was hoping to study there, will find it impossible for now.
- Families: Many families have relatives on both sides of the border—some haven’t seen each other in years. With the Attari border closing, even emergency visits will be difficult.
- Traders and Business Owners: Trade across the Attari border is a source of income for thousands. From truck drivers to customs workers, many will lose business. Exports and imports between the two countries now face total delays or a complete stop.
- Diplomats: With fewer staff members in each embassy, getting help in an emergency or processing paperwork will take longer.
- Farmers in Pakistan: With the Indus Water Treaty on hold, less water could flow to Pakistani fields, risking crops and livelihoods.
Changes like the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty can feel technical, but their results are felt by ordinary people. It’s not just about two governments fighting—it’s about water for crops, jobs for workers, and families who can’t meet.
The Indus Water Treaty: A Brief Background
The Indus Water Treaty, signed in 1960, was meant to prevent fights over water in a region where rivers start in India 🇮🇳 and flow into Pakistan 🇵🇰. The treaty has held up through wars and serious diplomatic problems. Under this agreement, India controls the water from the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej), while Pakistan gets most of its water from the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab). For many years, water experts and foreign diplomats have said that this treaty is a model for solving water disputes peacefully.
Suspending the Indus Water Treaty is not just a paper move. If it goes on for long, it could expose millions in Pakistan 🇵🇰 to water shortages, hurt their food supply, and disturb day-to-day life. For India 🇮🇳, it serves as a major tool to show its seriousness about fighting terrorism, but it’s also a step that comes with global attention and possible criticism.
What Happens Next?
It’s still very early, and the situation can change quickly, but here’s what to look out for in the coming weeks:
- Responding to the Treaty Suspension: If India 🇮🇳 keeps the Indus Water Treaty on pause, neighboring countries and international groups who care about water security might step in or offer advice.
- Further Diplomatic Actions: Pakistan 🇵🇰 is likely to respond with its own new measures soon after its National Security Committee meets.
- Regional Impact: South Asia is already a tense place. Steps like closing borders and suspending treaties add more pressure to the entire region. Other countries, such as Nepal 🇳🇵 or Bangladesh 🇧🇩, may watch carefully and worry this tension could spread.
- Impact on People: Everyday stories—missing family reunions, canceled business deals, and dry fields—are the real ways most people will feel these changes.
Different Views and Arguments
Whenever such strong moves happen, they are met with both support and criticism. In India 🇮🇳, many believe these steps are needed to protect citizens and send a clear message against terrorism. Others, however, say the impact on ordinary people and peaceful contacts between the two countries is a high price to pay.
Some worry the Indus Water Treaty should not be connected to security issues since water is a basic need and affects millions of lives. Critics of the closure of the Attari border point out that cutting off travel and trade makes it harder for people who do not have anything to do with politics or terrorism to live normal lives.
There is also the risk that with less contact, there are fewer chances for understanding or solving problems peacefully. History shows that sometimes, even after strong actions like these, talks start again when both sides see they need each other for peace or economic reasons.
Security and Regional Stability
India’s new measures touch all important points: water, travel, visas, and diplomacy. By including the Indus Water Treaty and Attari border, India 🇮🇳 is putting pressure on Pakistan 🇵🇰 at many levels. This can lead to a stiff response. The danger is that if both countries keep making stronger moves without talking, there could be misunderstanding or even conflict.
For travelers, students, and those with family across the border, staying up to date with official government advisories is strongly recommended. Policy changes can happen fast, and border officials on both sides will likely keep strict control over who comes and goes beyond the Attari border closure.
Final Thoughts
The events set off by the Pahalgam attack show just how fragile relations are between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰. The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, closure of the Attari border, and visa suspensions are not just symbols—they change daily life, slow down trade, keep families apart, and even risk food and water supplies for millions.
As both governments make decisions, the people will feel the outcomes most sharply. Watching this story helps us see not just high-level politics but the real challenges faced by regular people whenever diplomatic ties break or borders close.
To keep updated and get trusted advice, make sure to check with official government websites and trusted sources like VisaVerge.com, who will continue to track how these historic moves shape the future for both nations.
Learn Today
Indus Water Treaty → A 1960 agreement between India and Pakistan sharing water from the Indus River system, vital for Pakistan’s agriculture.
SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme → A program allowing certain professionals among South Asian countries to travel visa-free, facilitating diplomacy and business.
Attari Border → Principal land border crossing and trade gateway between India and Pakistan, crucial for families, travelers, and commerce.
Military Attaché → A military officer assigned to an embassy to maintain official defense relations and communication between two countries.
Diplomatic Staff Reduction → The act of decreasing the number of employees at foreign embassies, limiting functions such as visa processing and citizen support.
This Article in a Nutshell
India’s unprecedented response to the Pahalgam terror attack reshapes South Asian diplomacy. Suspending the Indus Water Treaty, closing Attari border, cancelling visas, and expelling diplomats deeply impact ordinary lives—students, families, and businesses—far beyond politics, signaling the most dramatic shift in Indo-Pakistan relations in decades, with global implications.
— By VisaVerge.com
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