Indus Waters Treaty Put On Hold, And More: India’s First Response To Pakistan’s Pahalgam Attack Explained

In response to the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 Indian citizens, the Narendra Modi government has announced a series of diplomatic and strategic measures aimed directly at Pakistan. These steps, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), mark an escalation, albeit non-military, in India’s posture.

The first and perhaps most consequential measure is India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. This World Bank-brokered agreement has been a rare pillar of continuity in the otherwise turbulent Indo-Pak relationship.

Under the treaty, India controls the waters of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej) while Pakistan has rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab), though India retains limited rights for use. Despite multiple wars and ongoing border tensions, the treaty has survived decades of hostility.

India’s move to place it “in abeyance with immediate effect” signals a dramatic policy shift. The conditionality attached — Pakistan must “credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism” — sets a high bar. 

By declaring the treaty in “abeyance,” India has stopped short of formally abrogating it — a move that would raise complex international legal challenges and draw global scrutiny.

But wit this move, India has created space for withholding cooperation, halting data sharing, suspending Indus Commission meetings, freezing clearances for new hydroelectric projects on the western rivers, and potentially increasing India’s own usage of waters it is otherwise allowed to let flow into Pakistan.

In practical terms, this can mean accelerated construction of storage facilities on the western rivers, revision of existing operational protocols, and a chilling effect on future joint technical engagements under the treaty’s dispute resolution mechanism.

For Pakistan, which depends heavily on the Indus system for agriculture and drinking water, even partial disruption in coordination could trigger water insecurity and economic stress. It is also a message to the international community: India will no longer uphold the treaty unilaterally while Pakistan continues to export terror across the border.

The second major decision targets the defence and military representation in the respective High Commissions of both countries.

India has declared Pakistan’s Military, Naval, and Air Advisors in New Delhi persona non grata, giving them a week to leave. India will reciprocally withdraw its own service advisors from Islamabad. Additionally, five support staff attached to each country's military officers will also be pulled out.

This is more than a symbolic gesture. Military attaches are crucial backchannel communicators and intelligence gatherers. Their withdrawal eliminates a key avenue for de-escalation in times of crisis. The move underlines India’s intent to cut non-essential contact, especially on defence matters, and freeze military-to-military engagement.

While these measures carry significant weight, they seem to be immediate steps rather than the full extent of India’s response to Pakistan’s actions in Pahalgam.

Experts believe that a military option remains on the table and could be exercised at a later stage. Such a response may come either as direct action by the Indian armed forces or through methods designed to maintain plausible deniability.