War may be brewing in South Asia. On Wednesday, India took bold steps against its neighbor, Pakistan, after a deadly militant attack in Kashmir killed 26 people, most of them Hindu tourists. The government has suspended a major water-sharing treaty with Pakistan and ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country.
The assault happened Tuesday in Pahalgam, a scenic area in Jammu and Kashmir popular with visitors. Seventeen others were hurt in what Indian officials say is one of the worst attacks in years. A militant group calling itself The Resistance Front claimed responsibility online, though its ties to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba are still being investigated.
Indian authorities blame militants operating from Pakistan and say they’re done waiting. At an emergency meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials decided to freeze the Indus Water Treaty, a decades-old agreement brokered by the World Bank in 1960. It governs the use of the Indus River and its tributaries, which flow through both countries and provide water to millions in Pakistan. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly” stops supporting cross-border terrorism, wrote CBS News.
A major event may be about to unfold in South Asia in the next 24-72 hours.
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) April 22, 2025
India also ordered all Pakistani citizens to leave within 48 hours and told military advisors at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to be gone within a week, according to multiple reports. India will also shrink its diplomatic staff in Pakistan, reducing its mission to 30 people—matching Pakistan’s presence in India.
To tighten the crackdown, India shut down the Attari border crossing, one of the main legal routes between the two nations. Pakistani visitors who came to India legally were told to exit the country by May 1.
Kashmir has long been a flashpoint. Both India and Pakistan claim the territory, and insurgent violence has plagued the region since the late 1980s. The attack comes at a time when tourism in Kashmir was starting to recover. The last major attack like this happened in June 2024, when militants killed nine Hindu pilgrims.
The response has gone global. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support, saying America “stands strong with India against terrorism.” Vice President JD Vance, in India on a family trip, offered condolences. Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, France, Israel, Iran, and the UAE also sent messages of support.
India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers.
We will pursue them to the ends of the earth.
India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. pic.twitter.com/sV3zk8gM94
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 24, 2025
Prime Minister Modi didn’t hold back: “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
The violence occurred as Vice President Vance and his family visited India to discuss trade with the United States.
With three little kids staring into the sun, this was actually the *best* photo we got at the Taj Mahal today 😂 pic.twitter.com/0ipCbkcA3u
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 23, 2025
Vance and his family returned the United States on Wednesday.
[Read More: Schumer Approval Tanking In Real Time]
