pak-govt-s-x-handle-blocked-in-india-after-pahalgam-attack

Amid surging tensions in the wake of the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, India has withheld access to the official X account of the Government of Pakistan within its territory.

 

Users attempting to view @GovtofPakistan on the platform formerly known as Twitter are now greeted with a message stating that the account has been withheld “in response to a legal demand.”

 

The suspension follows a series of stern diplomatic and security decisions taken by the Indian government after the April 22 attack in the Baisaran meadow area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Most of the victims were tourists, and the incident has sent shockwaves across the nation.

 

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, convened shortly after the attack. The meeting resulted in significant retaliatory actions aimed at Pakistan, which India accuses of supporting cross-border terrorism.

 

One of the most notable outcomes of the CCS meeting was the decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960—an accord that has stood through multiple Indo-Pakistani wars. The treaty will remain in abeyance until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”

 

India has also announced the immediate closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post. Additionally, all visas issued to Pakistani nationals under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) have been revoked. Pakistani nationals currently in India under the SVES scheme have been instructed to leave the country within 48 hours.

 

Further, the Defence, Military, Naval, and Air Advisors at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and directed to depart within a week. India, in reciprocity, will withdraw its own Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The support staff assisting these posts will also be recalled.

 

These steps will see the overall strength of each nation’s high commission reduced from 55 to 30 personnel, effective from 1 May 2025.

 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, addressing the media after the CCS meeting, confirmed the decisions taken and indicated that additional diplomatic steps could follow.