Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of a deadly militant attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, calling it the worst civilian assault in nearly two decades. Speaking at a rally in Bihar on Thursday, Modi honored the victims and pledged to pursue the attackers "to the ends of the earth," though he did not name Pakistan directly.
Indian authorities said two of the three suspected militants involved were Pakistani nationals. In response, India suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Wagah border crossing, and ordered Pakistan’s defence advisors to leave within a week. The Indian mission in Islamabad will also reduce its staff from 55 to 30.
Pakistan’s Power Minister Awais Lekhari condemned the treaty suspension as "an act of water warfare," while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prepared to convene the National Security Committee to discuss a formal response.
Protests erupted outside the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi, with demonstrators demanding accountability. Meanwhile, India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat and classified its military personnel as persona non grata.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has survived past wars and diplomatic crises. But relations have sharply deteriorated since 2019, when India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized the cross-border nature of the attack but did not provide concrete evidence. Modi has also called an all-party meeting to align political consensus on the government’s response.
The attack, which took place in the scenic Pahalgam region, is a major blow to the Modi administration’s claim of restoring peace and development to the region. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting Kashmir insurgents, a claim Islamabad denies, saying it only backs peaceful self-determination.