External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday addressed the Lok Sabha during debate on Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Emphasising that India needed to send a clear, strong and resolute message following the Pahalgam attack, EAM S Jaishankar said, "It was important to send a clear, strong and resolute message after the Pahalgam terror attack. Our red lines were crossed, and we had to make it very apparent that there would be serious consequences. As a result, the Cabinet Committee on Security met and put the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably gives up its support of cross-border terrorism."
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He explained that the Cabinet Committee on Security met on April 23rd and decided on five immediate measures: suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 until Pakistan credibly ends its support for cross-border terrorism, closing the Integrated Check Post Attari with immediate effect, barring Pakistani nationals from traveling under the SARC visa exemption scheme, declaring the Defence, Naval and Air advisors of the Pakistani High Commission as persona non grata, and reducing the overall strength of the Pakistani High Commission from 55 to 30 personnel.
The EAM further clarified that India's response would not be limited to these initial steps, as the country's diplomatic and foreign policy approach aimed to shape global understanding of the Pahalgam attack. He stated that India worked to expose Pakistan's long-standing use of cross-border terrorism to the international community, highlighting Pakistan's history of terrorism and explaining how this particular attack was designed to target the economy of Jammu and Kashmir while sowing communal discord among the Indian people.