Pahalgam Terror Attack April 2025 India Response: All Indian forces on alert, Indus Treaty suspended; Pak nationals who arrived from Wagah border must leave India by May 1

Pahalgam Terror Attack April 2025 India Response: In a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, the central government took a host of big decisions in the aftermath of the previous afternoon’s terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre also called an emergency, all-party meeting in Parliament the next day, under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. 

Here are highlights of the key announcements and decisions taken by the Committee on April 23: 

• 25 Indians and one Nepali national killed in Pahalgam attack
• All Indian forces on alert
• Strong support and regards received from nations 
• Cross-border linkage established  
• Indus Valley Treaty suspended immediately
• Attari boarder closed as soon as possible

• Pakistani nationals will not be allowed on Indian land

  • Any Pakistani national who arrived in India from the Wagah-Attari border needs to leave India by May 1

  • Pakistani Military Diplomats who are declared ‘persona non grata’ (unwelcome person) need to leave India in one week

  • SAARC visas to India issued to Pakistani nationals stand cancelled; Pakistani nationals in India on these visas to leave within 48 hours

• India will windrow its Army, Navy and Air Force attaché to Pakistan

• Overall strength in Pakistan will be bought back to 30 from 55

• Three service advisers in the High Commision to be called back with five support staff

• All-party meeting to take place in Parliament on Thursday

• The meeting will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flew back to the country, cutting short their respective official foreign tours. 

PM Modi was immediately briefed by the National Security Advisor (NSA), the External Affairs Minister and the Finance Secretary as soon as he landed in the national capital. 

What is the Indus (‘Sindhu’) Valley Treaty and why is it important?

• This is an important treaty for Pakistan
• Pak gets about four-fifths (80 per cent) of the water of six rivers under this agreement
• These rivers are: Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum
• Under the treaty, India gets water from Beas, Ravi and Sutlej whereas Pak gets it from Indus, Chenab and Jhelum (India uses eastern rivers whereas Pakistan uses western rivers)
• In 1960, then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pakistani President Ayub Khan signed the agreement