Pakistan has officially responded to India’s move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the decision “unlawful” and without basis in the agreement. The letter, sent on Wednesday by Pakistan’s Secretary of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, was addressed to his Indian counterpart. It emphasized that the treaty does not contain any clause that permits unilateral suspension or amendments.
Officials from the Ministry of Water Resources stated that the terminology used by India to justify its action is not found anywhere in the original text of the treaty. Pakistan reiterated its stance that the Indus Waters Treaty remains fully valid in its original form and cannot be altered or suspended without mutual agreement.
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In a separate development, India expelled another official from Pakistan’s diplomatic staff earlier this week. The diplomat, identified as Rahim, served as a visa assistant at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. He has been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country.
Diplomatic sources revealed that Rahim’s expulsion brings the total number of Pakistani officials removed from India to 23, following the recent Pahalgam false-flag incident. Previously, 22 Pakistani High Commission staff had already returned home.
The move follows a high-level meeting chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, during which decisions were made to tighten diplomatic and border measures against Pakistan. India’s Ministry of External Affairs later announced that restrictions would be imposed on visas for Pakistani diplomats.
