In a dramatic escalation fuelled by the manufactured Pahalgam incident, India has suspended the landmark Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, sparking fears of a major diplomatic and regional crisis.
Citing the Pahalgam attack — widely viewed by analysts as part of India’s false flag playbook — New Delhi announced a raft of hostile measures, including the closure of the Attari-Wagah border, cancellation of all Pakistani visas, and a 48-hour deadline for all Pakistani nationals to leave the country.
In an aggressive move unseen in decades, the Indian Foreign Ministry also declared the suspension of diplomatic operations, ordering the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to shut down and demanding the withdrawal of all Pakistani diplomatic staff within seven days. Additionally, India is recalling its own defence attachés from Islamabad, further severing military-to-military communication lines.
Experts say India’s reaction reeks of calculated political manoeuvring rather than genuine security concerns. “This is not diplomacy — it’s theatre,” said one South Asian affairs analyst. “India is using a dubious incident as a pretext to dismantle a treaty that has survived wars, and to push its anti-Pakistan agenda on all fronts.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has long been a symbol of stability between the nuclear-armed neighbours, even during the tensest of conflicts. Its suspension marks a dangerous shift that could jeopardise water security and peace in the region.
Many in Pakistan see this latest Indian move as an extension of its hybrid warfare doctrine — using fabricated narratives, aggressive media campaigns, and diplomatic belligerence to isolate and provoke Pakistan internationally.
As tensions soar, the international community is being urged to take notice of India’s dangerous gambit, which risks igniting another flashpoint in an already volatile region.
