“SERIOUS RISK”
Tuesday’s assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in the Muslim-majority region where rebels have waged an insurgency since 1989 – seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday read out a series of actions against Pakistan.
They included the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 to share critical water from Himalayan tributaries “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures (rejects) its support for cross-border terrorism”, Misri told reporters in New Delhi.
They also included the shutting of the mainland border crossing and several diplomatic staff reductions, including withdrawing several Indian personnel from Islamabad and ordering Pakistanis home.
Analyst Michael Kugelman said the attack posed a “very serious risk of a new crisis between India and Pakistan, and probably the most serious risk of a crisis since the brief military conflict that happened in 2019”.
