India Closes Border, Expels Diplomats After Deadly Kashmir Attack Kills 26

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - India unveiled a series of measures to downgrade its relations with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed 26 people in the tourist town of Pahalgam, located in the disputed Kashmir region.

India's Foreign Minister Vikram Misri stated in a press conference, as reported by Al Jazeera on Wednesday, that the cross-border ties in connection to the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir had been "addressed" during a special security cabinet meeting.

Following the discussion, a decision was made to take action against Pakistan.

He announced that the main land border between the two countries would be closed immediately and that New Delhi would suspend a water-sharing agreement that governs the allocation of the Indus River system between the two nations.

Misri also declared that Pakistani nationals would be barred from traveling to India under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) visa exemption program. Pakistanis currently in India under this program would have 48 hours to leave the country.

Additionally, India has declared the defense advisor at Pakistan’s high commission in New Delhi persona non grata and ordered him to leave. Misri added that the total number of Indian diplomatic staff in Islamabad would be reduced from 55 to 30.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a National Security Committee meeting on Thursday morning, April 24, 2025, in response to the Indian government’s statements, according to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who shared the update on X.

A little-known group, the Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media post. The group cited dissatisfaction over what it described as the settlement of more than 85,000 “outsiders” in the region, alleging it was part of a “demographic change.”

According to police, the victims included 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while at least 17 others were injured.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the loss of life among tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

"We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery," the ministry’s spokesperson said in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortened his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to the capital on Wednesday morning. He condemned the attack as a "heinous act" and vowed that the attackers “will be brought to justice.”

"Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger," Modi said in a post on X.

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Those responsible and those behind this act will hear from us soon, loudly and clearly.”

"We won’t just reach those people who carried out the attack. We will also reach out to those who planned this from behind the scenes on our land," Singh said in a speech delivered in the capital, New Delhi.

Tourists Flee the Region

Kashmir has witnessed a series of deadly attacks, including those targeting migrant workers from other Indian states, since New Delhi revoked the region’s semi-autonomous status in 2019. That move severely restricted dissent, civil liberties, and media freedom in the Muslim-majority territory.

Tuesday’s attack was a setback for Prime Minister Modi’s government, which has repeatedly claimed a return to "normalcy" in Kashmir following the removal of its special status.

New Delhi has heavily promoted tourism, and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills and picturesque houseboats.

Ajai Sahni, executive director of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a platform that monitors armed attacks in the region, said that achieving “zero militancy in Kashmir” is an unrealistic goal, at least without a political resolution for the state.

"The normalcy narrative creates a situation where groups are encouraged to engineer attacks," Sahni said. "There is no normalcy in Kashmir."

Following the attack, panicked tourists began fleeing the region. Monojit Debnath, a visitor from Kolkata in eastern India, said that although Kashmir was beautiful, his family no longer felt safe.

"We are tourists, and we should think about what safety we have here for us," Debnath told the Press Trust of India as he departed Srinagar, the region’s main city, with his family.

TRF claimed that “the individuals targeted were not ordinary tourists.” “Instead,” it said in a separate statement, “they were connected to and affiliated with Indian security agencies,” adding that the group would intensify its activities in the region.

The Indian government has not yet responded to the group’s claim.

Armed group attacks have plagued Kashmir, a region claimed in full but controlled in part by both India and Pakistan, since an anti-India insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have died, although violence has declined in recent years.

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