New Delhi — Within 36 hours of the 22 April 2025 terrorist outrage that killed 26 holiday‑makers in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort, the Government of India rolled out its toughest package of reprisals against Pakistan in nearly two decades, signalling that “business as usual” is over until Islamabad takes “verifiable action” against the perpetrators. Latest news & breaking headlines
Border sealed and treaty suspended
At an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the immediate closure of the Attari–Wagah land crossing, halting passenger and freight traffic that moves goods worth an estimated ₹9,500 crore a year. Simultaneously, India “indefinitely suspended” participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, freezing routine meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission and withholding technical data that Pakistan relies on for downstream river management. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the treaty would remain on ice “until Pakistan demonstrates that its territory will not be used to bleed India”. Al JazeeraMinistry of External Affairs
Diplomatic downgrading
New Delhi summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires on 23 April, handing over a démarche that declared two military attaches persona non grata and gave them 48 hours to leave India. High Commissioner Munir Anwar’s own recall for “consultations” effectively lowers relations to deputy‑head level on both sides; India had already withdrawn its envoy from Islamabad in the wake of the 2019 Pulwama bombing, but had allowed lower‑level diplomatic engagement to limp on. Now even that channel is being choked. www.ndtv.com
Economic pressure and FATF campaign
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a 200 percent customs duty on all Pakistani imports, an echo of India’s 2019 move but this time combined with a ban on third‑country trans‑shipments that previously allowed Pakistani textiles and sports goods a back‑door entry through Dubai. Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs said it would launch an “evidence‑based” lobbying drive at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in June to push Pakistan back onto the watchdog’s “grey list” for terror‑financing non‑compliance, citing digital forensics that link the Pahalgam attackers to Lashkar‑e‑Taiba operatives in Lahore. Latest news & breaking headlines
Military posture hardened but calibrated
While officials insist India does not seek a conventional war, the Army’s Northern Command has been given “full operational freedom” to conduct targeted cross‑Line‑of‑Control strikes against launch pads identified by electronic intelligence in the Kupwara–Neelum sector. Additional 5,000 troops from the Para (Special Forces) Brigade were airlifted to forward bases near Awantipora, and drones are enforcing a no‑fly buffer inside Pakistani airspace at night. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that “every terrorist and their handlers will be hunted down”, but emphasised that action would be “precise, limited and solely against terror infrastructure”. The Times of India
Political messaging and international outreach
Domestically, the Modi government framed the response as both justice for victims and a deterrent precedent. Home Minister Amit Shah said the measures prove “India will not absorb pain silently any more”. Immediately after the CCS meeting, the PM briefed leaders of opposition parties; Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge offered “unconditional support”, signalling rare unity on national security. On the global stage, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Gulf counterparts to share intelligence on the attack and to head off any diplomatic backlash against India’s Indus decision. Early reactions have been largely sympathetic; Washington called India’s steps “understandable self‑defence”, while the EU urged restraint but stopped short of criticising the treaty suspension. Latest news & breaking headlinesHindustan Times
Pakistan’s initial reply
Islamabad has rejected the allegations as “baseless” and warned that abrogation of the Indus pact would be a “grave breach of international obligations”. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar convened an emergency meeting of service chiefs and threatened to raise the issue at the UN Security Council, yet stopped short of announcing reciprocal expulsions or border closures, signalling limited room for escalation amid Pakistan’s deep economic crisis. YouTube
What next?
Analysts say New Delhi’s layered approach—combining diplomatic isolation, economic strangulation and calibrated military pressure—aims to coerce rather than provoke a full‑scale conflict. The effectiveness of that strategy will hinge on whether evidence supplied to the FATF and key Western capitals translates into concrete action against Lashkar‑e‑Taiba and affiliated networks inside Pakistan. For now, the centrepiece of India’s message remains clear: the cost of another Pahalgam will be paid not just on the LoC but in Pakistan’s diplomatic and economic heartlands as well.
