ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday delivered a determined response to India`s sweeping punitive measures following the Pahalgam attack, unveiling a series of strong countermeasures including an airspace ban on Indian airlines, the complete suspension of bilateral trade, and a stark warning that any disruption of Indus River flows would be treated as an `act of war`.

The decisions, adopted during an emergency session of the National Security Committee (NSC), also included the potential suspension of all bilateral agreements, notably the 1972 Simla Agreement.

The session, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by key cabinet ministers, top government aides, services chiefs, intelligence officials and senior government officers, was convened in response to aggressive Indian measures following the Pahalgam attack in Indian-held Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.

India`s actions included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), reducingdiplomatic presence, shutting the Attari border crossing, cancelling Saarc visa privileges for Pakistanis, and vowing to intensify internal security.Describing New Delhi`s actions as `belligerent`, the NSC reaffirmed Pakistan`s commitment to regional peace, but madeclear it would not tolerate violations of sovereignty or critical issues of national interest.

`War` over water The NSC rejected unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, warning that any attempt to divert or stop water flows would be treated as an `act of war`, and responded forcefully.

`Pakistan vehemently rejects the Indian announcement to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. The Treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension,` read the NSC statement.

`Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,` the committee emphasised.

Attorney General Mansoor Awan, addressing reporters after the meeting, said the Indus Waters Treaty could not be altered unilaterally. `If the treaty is to be ended, then it would end by an agreement between the two countries,` he said.

`Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power,` the NSCwarned.

Tit-for-tat In addition to warning of military repercussions, Pakistan`s top civil-military forum also threatened to suspend all bilateral agreements with India which include the Simla Agreement, which underpins the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the disputed Kashmir region.

`Noting the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of India, which disregards international conventions, UN Security Council Resolutions and international obligations at will, Pakistan shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India including but not limited to Simla Agreement in abeyance, till India desists from its manifested behaviour of fomenting terrorism inside Pakistan; transnational killings; and non-adherence to international law and UN Resolutions on Kashmir,` the NSC added.

Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar supported the stance, reiterating that `no unilateral action was acceptable and that in case of any disruption of water flows, Pakistan will take action, holding in abeyance Simla and other treaties can be considered`.

He noted that India`s demarche to Pakistani diplomats, outlining its decisions, curiously omitted any reference to the IWT, though a separate letter from India`s water secretary to his Pakist ani counterpart explicitly declared the treaty `held in abeyance with immediate effect`.

Pakistan`s retaliatory steps included both mirrored responses and escalatory measures.

The NSC ordered the immediate closure of the Wagah border crossing, suspending all crossborder transit without exception. Individualswho had crossed with valid documents were allowed to return until April 30, 2025.

Additionally, all visas issued under the Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) to Indian nationals were cancelled, with the exception of Sikh religious pilgrims. Indians in Pakistan under SVES were directed to exit within 48 hours. Pakistan also declared Indian defence, naval, and air advisers in Islamabad persona non grata, requiring them and their support staff to leave the country by April 30.

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad was ordered to reduce its personnel to 30 diplomats and staff members, also by April 30.

In a further escalation, Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indianowne d or Indianoper ate d airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including indirect trade through third countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Dar framed these actions as proportionate. `These are tit-for-tat actions, minimum response. Whatever they do to us, will be done to them,` he told journalists.

Blame game rejected As diplomatic channels dry up and treaty frameworks teeter, analysts warn that relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors may be approaching a dangerous tipping point, with limited space remaining for de-escalation.

The national security forum rejected what it called India`s `blame game` warning that such accusations without evidence obstruct regional peace and risk further destabilisation.

`India should refrain fromits reflexive blame game and cynical staged managed exploitation of incidents like Pahalgam to further its narrow political agenda. Such tactics serve only to inflame tensions and obstruct the path to peace and stability in the region,` the statement read.

At the presser, FM Dar underscored Pakistan`s position. `India has often played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan`s involvement, it should share it with us and the world, he said, challenging New Delhi to substantiate its claims with verifiable evidence.

The NSC reiterated Pakistan`s longstanding stance that Jammu and Kashmir remains an `unresolved dispute` on the UN agenda, fram-ing unrest in the region as a natural consequence of India`s heavy-handed tactics. `The violence in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an organic backlash to decades of state oppression, illegal demographic engineering, and denial of fundamental rights to the Kashmiri people,` the NSC said.

The statement also accused New Delhi of carrying out systemic persecution of Muslims and suppressing dissent through force.

It, moreover, cited India`s alleged role in destabilizing Pakistan, specifically highlighting the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav a serving Indian naval officer convicted of espionage and terrorism in Pakistan.

The NSC condemned India`s `implicit threats` and accused it of engaging in `statesponsored extraterritorial assassinations`, referencing multiple cases exposed by Pakistan and other countries and documented by international media. The committee warned that `any threat to Pakistan`s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures.

`Ready for Indian terror wave` Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking at the post-meeting briefing, said India was already waging a `low-intensity conflict` against Pakistan. `If they seek to increase the scale, we will respond and we will not come under international pressure,` he said.

He delivered a blunt warning about the potential consequences of an escalated campaign. `There should be no doubt we will defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity.` He added that intelligence assessments indicate India may be preparing `an all-out war of terrorism on Pakistani cities`.

`We are fully prepared for this wave of terrorism,` Asif said. `It will be tit-for-tat. If our citizens are not safe in our cities, if there are attacks on them, then Indian citizens too will not be safe.

The minister warned, `If even one Pakistani citizen is harmed in an Indian-perpetrated or Indian-orchestrated attack, we will make Indians pay through their noses.