Pakistan Shuts Airspace and Suspends All Trade With India After Indus Treaty Row

Islamabad retaliates after India’s strong post-Pahalgam attack measures by banning Indian airlines, halting bilateral trade, and expelling Indian military personnel.

April 24, 2025 | In a swift and escalatory response to India’s diplomatic offensive following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan on Thursday closed its airspace to all Indian-owned and Indian-operated airlines and announced the suspension of all trade with India, including goods in transit to third countries.

Also Read: 🇮🇳 What Is The Indus Waters Treaty India Just Suspended With Pakistan?

The announcement came after a high-level national security meeting chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, amid intensifying tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan also objected to India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, warning that any disruption to the treaty-mandated flow of waters would be treated as an “act of war.”

Also Read: “Pakistan Resorts to Terror When India Progresses”: Former Foreign Secretary Shringla Slams Pahalgam Attack

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Key Developments:

• Airspace Ban: All Indian commercial flights barred from using Pakistani airspace effective immediately.
• Trade Suspended: Bilateral trade and third-country routed commerce through Pakistan halted.
• Diplomatic Expulsions: Indian military advisers in Islamabad ordered to leave by April 30.
• Treaty Warning: Pakistan asserts any violation of its lower riparian rights under Indus Waters Treaty will be “responded to accordingly.”

Also Read: Pahalgam Terror Attack Fallout: India Briefs Global Diplomats, PM Modi Declares Unrelenting Pursuit of Terrorists

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India had on Wednesday implemented several strong measures after 26 tourists were massacred in Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley — the worst such attack in two decades. The Indian government:

• Suspended the Indus Waters Treaty
• Closed the Attari-Wagah border
• Revoked Pakistani visas
• Ordered a reduction of diplomatic staff in both countries
• Declared Pakistan’s defence advisers in New Delhi persona non grata

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India is acting on intelligence showing clear cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Meanwhile, Pakistani nationals began leaving India on Thursday via the Attari-Wagah land route as the 48-hour visa cancellation deadline loomed.

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Tags:

India-Pakistan tensions, Pakistan airspace closure, Indus Waters Treaty suspended, Pahalgam terror attack, India-Pakistan trade halt, Pakistani nationals leave India, Vikram Misri statement, Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan, bilateral crisis, Attari-Wagah border closed