Pak foreign secretary briefs heads of mission, diplomats on evolving situation following Pahalgam attack

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch on Thursday briefed a group of Islamabad-based heads of mission and diplomats on the evolving situation following the Pahalgam attack, sharing the outcomes of the National Security Committee meeting, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

“She rejected the Indian misinformation campaign against Pakistan and said that such tactics would obstruct the path to peace and stability in the region,” it said.

She said that Pakistan has always rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. She also cautioned against Indian attempts to escalate tensions and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to counter any misadventure.

Pakistan on Thursday put the Simla Agreement and other bilateral accords with India on hold, suspended all trade, closed its airspace for Indian airlines and said any attempt to divert the water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an Act of War.

Islamabad also closed the Wagah border post, cancelled visas given to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and asked military advisers at the Indian High Commission to leave—mirroring steps taken the previous evening by India over the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Pakistani announcements followed a meeting here of its National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in response to the Indian decision on Wednesday to suspend the Indus Water Treaty and downgrade diplomatic ties with Islamabad.

That call was taken by India after the attack Tuesday in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.