Pakistan has shut down its Wagah border crossing with India and closed its airspace to Indian airlines and carriers owned by Indian nationals. The move follows a meeting of Pakistan’s National Security Council, convened in response to India's reaction to a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Pakistan is to immediately close the Wagah border checkpoint. All cross-border transit from India through this route is suspended without exception. Those who have already crossed with valid permits may return through this checkpoint, but no later than April 30,” read an official statement from the office of the Pakistani Prime Minister. “Pakistan’s airspace will also be closed with immediate effect to all Indian or Indian-owned airlines.”
The decision follows a terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Armed militants opened fire, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen, while injuring many others. The attackers managed to escape.
According to The Times of India, citing Indian intelligence sources, the attack was carried out by operatives of the “Resistance Front,” believed to be a militant offshoot of the Pakistan-based extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is banned in Russia.
In response, on April 23, India expelled Pakistan’s military and defense attachés from its embassy in New Delhi, citing Islamabad’s alleged support for “cross-border terrorism.” India also shuttered the key Attari-Wagah border post and suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a key bilateral agreement on shared water resources.
Additionally, New Delhi has banned entry for Pakistani citizens using special travel permits typically granted to high-ranking officials under a visa-waiver system managed by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The Kashmir region has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since 1947, when the British partition of India created two states divided largely along religious lines. The region remains split between the two countries by a Line of Control, not an official international border. Militant groups continue to operate in the Indian-controlled portion, many of them advocating for independence or alignment with Pakistan. New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of backing these groups—a charge Pakistan firmly denies.
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Based on TASS materials