Pakistan Retaliates: Closes Airspace, Rejects India’s Suspension of Water Treaty

|By Babatunji Wusu-

-Islamabad Hits Back After India Suspends Indus Water Treaty
–Pakistan Shuts Airspace to Indian Flights, Warns Against “Acts of War”

Pakistan on Thursday closed its airspace to Indian airlines and rejected India’s decision to suspend the historic Indus Waters Treaty, escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The move, announced by the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office, followed an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee in response to India’s reaction to a deadly militant attack in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir.

India had earlier claimed cross-border involvement in the attack, which left 26 people dead at a popular tourist site on Tuesday. Indian police named three suspects—two of whom were reportedly Pakistanis—but provided no concrete evidence or official details linking Pakistan to the killings.

In retaliation, New Delhi downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad, shut down the only land crossing between the two countries, and suspended the 64-year-old Indus Waters Treaty—a critical agreement that governs water sharing from the Indus River system.

But Pakistan dismissed the moves as provocative and unlawful.

“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” the statement from Islamabad warned.

The government further stated that any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s share of water under the treaty would be treated as an act of war, signaling a sharp rise in tensions.

This latest round of hostilities marks a serious deterioration in India-Pakistan relations, which have remained fragile amid repeated flare-ups over Kashmir and cross-border militancy.