Pakistan to hold high-level security meet after India suspends Indus Waters Treaty, downgrades ties

Islamabad: Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership will meet on Thursday to decide on a response to India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and downgrading of diplomatic ties, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said late Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, India suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and took several other measures, including reducing diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

“A session of the National Security Committee will be chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif,” Asif said in a statement. He added that the committee would take decisions to deliver a “befitting reply to Indian steps.”

The meeting, which will be attended by the heads of all armed forces and key cabinet ministers, is being convened to address critical national security matters.