Relations between India and Pakistan have entered a deep freeze after the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed 26 innocent lives, most of them tourists. In an unprecedented chain of retaliatory measures, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, revoked visas of Pakistani citizens, expelled Pakistani military advisors, and is now preparing to shut its skies and ports to Pakistan — a move that could deliver a crippling blow to Pakistan’s fragile economy.
“India will no longer tolerate death exported across the border under the guise of diplomacy or brotherhood,” said a senior official. “The Pahalgam attack was the last straw.”
India is also preparing to shut its airspace to Pakistani carriers, a decision expected to severely disrupt Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operations to Southeast Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Bangkok.
Currently, PIA relies heavily on Indian airspace for efficient routing to these destinations. If barred, PIA flights would be forced into costly detours over China or Sri Lanka, increasing flight time, fuel consumption, and operational costs significantly.
“This is economic warfare by peaceful means,” a retired Indian diplomat said. “In 1971, India closed its airspace to Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. This time, the stakes are even higher for Pakistan’s battered economy.”
PIA, already struggling after the European Air Safety Agency’s ban (only lifted late last year after four years), now faces a fresh existential threat. “This could be the final nail in PIA’s coffin,” an aviation expert remarked. Pakistan reportedly charges $580 in overflight fees for a Boeing 737. Heavier aircraft like the Boeing 777 are charged between $1,200 and $1,700 per flight.
With over 800 Indian flights previously crossing Pakistani airspace each week, Pakistan earned nearly $120,000 per day — a crucial foreign exchange stream now wiped out by its own retaliatory ban.
“Pakistan’s decision to block Indian airlines is like cutting off your nose to spite your face,” a senior Indian aviation official said. “Now, they must prepare for a bigger blow.”
In a further escalation, India is contemplating a ban on Pakistani ships docking at Indian ports. If implemented, Pakistani cargo vessels will face longer and more expensive routes for international trade, significantly raising costs. “Access to Indian ports is a logistical lifeline for Pakistan’s limited global trade routes,” a Shipping Ministry source said. “Closing that off will add to their economic isolation.”
India has already announced a dramatic reduction in diplomatic presence:
- Defence, naval, and air advisors at Pakistan’s High Commission in Delhi have been declared persona non grata and given a week to leave.
- Indian defence advisors in Islamabad will be withdrawn similarly.
- Both countries’ High Commissions will cut staff from 55 to 30 by May 1, 2025.
In a move that could fundamentally alter South Asia’s geopolitics, India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty — one of the world’s oldest water-sharing agreements — pending Pakistan’s “credible and irreversible” end to terror sponsorship.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) ordered that India would now fully exploit its share of the Indus system rivers, including construction of new storage facilities and diversion projects. Officials described it as the preparation of a “hydrological siege” if Pakistan does not mend its ways.
“This is not just symbolic. This will hit Pakistan where it hurts — water security and agriculture,” a senior Water Ministry official said. Strategic planners have warned for years that Pakistan’s “water vulnerability” could be exploited if cross-border terror continued. Now that strategy appears to be activated.
Additionally, the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme has been terminated for Pakistani nationals.
- All existing visas are now annulled.
- Pakistani visa holders have 48 hours to leave India.
The Attari check post, a vital land route between the two countries, was ordered shut immediately. Pakistani citizens who crossed into India before the closure have been instructed to return by May 1 through the same checkpoint. “This is a total rollback of normalcy,” a senior MEA official explained. “Diplomacy cannot coexist with terrorism.”
While diplomatic ties crumble, tensions on the ground have remained volatile. Small arms fire exchanges have resumed along the Line of Control in Kashmir. Indian forces have retaliated “forcefully and proportionally” to Pakistani provocations. “Any attempt at infiltration or border firing will meet a decisive response,” a senior Indian Army officer said.
