In the aftermath of the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir, tensions between India and Pakistan continue to escalate and another flashpoint of destabilization and war threatens to become active.
Yesterday, Debashree Mukherjee, India’s Secretary of Water Resources, notified her Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza, about India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance with immediate effect following the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. “What we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan,” the letter from Mukherjee stated, noting that these actions have created “security uncertainties” that impede India’s ability to fully utilise its treaty rights, reported Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, as crossborder tensions are escalating, the temperature in both capitals is rising as well. In New Dehli, the government held an all-party meeting yesterday to brief its allies and the opposition about the actions being taken after the terror attack, reported the Hindustan Times. After the meeting, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi declared that the government has the opposition’s full support “to take any action.”
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Senate unanimously passed a resolution against India’s attempt to link Pakistan to the deadly attack, reported Dawn. The resolution, moved by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, stated that Pakistan remains fully capable and prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression including “water terrorism"—a reference to India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty—or military provocation, and that “any misadventure by India will be met with a firm, swift and decisive response.”
