Islamabad, April 24– A day after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan cancelled the Shimla Agreement, accusing New Delhi of plotting attacks in Pakistani cities.
Other retaliatory measures include closing its airspace to Indian airlines, shutting down the Wagah border crossing, and suspending all trade with India.
Pakistan has also revoked all visas issued to Indian nationals under the SAARC visa exemption scheme.
“India is planning terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities. There will be a tit for tat. If our citizens are not safe in our cities, Indian citizens will not be safe in Indian cities. We’ll make them pay through their noses,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister said during a press briefing.
He warned that any disruption or diversion of water flows that Pakistan is entitled to under international agreements would be treated as an act of war.
“If the flow of water owned by Pakistan is blocked or diverted, it will be deemed a declaration of war,” he said.
The Shimla Agreement was signed on July 2, 1972, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which was primarily fought over the independence of East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh.
In the war, India had captured approximately 90,000 Pakistani troops. The Shimla Agreement facilitated their release, and India – Pakistan replaced the ceasefire line with the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and declared Kashmir a bilateral issue, excluding third-party mediations like the UN.
