By Dirk Godder
dpa
(TNS)
New Delhi (dpa) — India has suspended a key water-sharing agreement with Pakistan following a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left more than two dozen dead.
Minister of State for External Affairs Vikram Misri announced the immediate suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.
The treaty, which governs the use of rivers in the Himalayan region, has been a cornerstone of bilateral water cooperation since it was brokered in 1960. Its suspension marks a significant escalation in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The Indus River is vital to Pakistan’s water supply. It originates in the Chinese-controlled region of Tibet and flows through the disputed territory of Kashmir, where key tributaries such as the Zanskar join its course before continuing into Pakistan.
Arrests in wake of attack
There have been hundreds of arrests following the deadly attack in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, the broadcaster NDTV and other Indian media reported on Wednesday, citing informants.
The reports said that approximately 1,500 people have been arrested in the Himalayan region in connection with the attack for questioning about possible links to the perpetrators. It was said that among them were individuals who had previously been noted for militant behaviour.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured the country that “the accused will soon see a loud and clear response.”
In the attack on a mountain meadow in a popular holiday area near the town of Pahalgam on Tuesday, 26 people were killed, and at least 17 others were injured. Most of them were Indian holidaymakers.
The government classifies the targeted attack on tourists as an act of terrorism.
Search for attackers heats up
The search for the attackers intensified on Wednesday, the Indian armed forces said. The army and police in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir were conducting a joint search operation, they said.
The newspaper Greater Kashmir reported that security measures throughout the Kashmir Valley have been heightened with additional checkpoints established in the region.
The police in Kashmir have released three sketches of the suspected attackers to aid the manhunt.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a splinter group of the banned organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous, LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack, Greater Kashmir reported.
The LeT is held responsible for a series of attacks in Mumbai in November 2008.
The group’s base is said to be in Pakistan, but it is also banned there. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Pakistani television after the attack that his country’s government had nothing to do with the act.
A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrived in Pahalgam to begin investigations. The NIA operates in India as the central counter-terrorism agency.
Modi says there will be consequences
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short an official visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India, announced that the perpetrators would be held accountable.
Rebel groups in the Indian part of Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim, are fighting for independence from the predominantly Hindu India or for a merger with Pakistan.
The region of Kashmir is divided between the two neighbouring countries, and China. The nuclear powers of India and Pakistan have already fought two wars over control of the Himalayan valley.
The Indian part was divided into two so-called union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – in 2019, bringing it more under the control of the central government in New Delhi. Pakistan had described the revocation of partial autonomy as illegal.
©2025 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
