Islamabad, April 24, 2025: In a significant development amid worsening diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India, Pakistan Rangers on Thursday apprehended an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier who reportedly crossed into Pakistani territory in Punjab. The incident has been confirmed by Indian media outlets, which identified the soldier as Constable P. K. Singh of the 182nd BSF battalion.
According to a report by Indian media, Singh unintentionally crossed the border during a routine patrol near the Ferozepur sector and was taken into custody by Pakistani forces. The arrest comes at a time of deepening tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) earlier this week.
Escalating diplomatic fallout: Pakistan’s retaliatory measures
In response to India’s swift and sweeping actions following the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) convened an emergency session and approved a series of retaliatory measures. The NSC categorically rejected India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, warning that any attempt to alter the flow of water into Pakistan would be interpreted as an “act of war.”
Tuesday’s attack in IIOJK, which claimed 26 lives including that of a Nepali national, was quickly blamed on Pakistan by Indian authorities—a charge Islamabad has strongly denied, calling it a “false flag operation” orchestrated to deflect attention from domestic unrest and policy failures.
NSC’s firm decisions and Pakistan’s countermoves
The NSC, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by top civilian and military leadership, approved the following immediate actions:
- Rejection of India’s suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, calling it a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank.
- Declaration that any water diversion by India will be viewed as an act of war.
- Closure of the Wagah Border to all forms of Indian land transit.
- Cancellation of SAARC visa exemptions for Indian nationals, with orders for all Indian citizens in Pakistan to exit within 48 hours.
- Declaration of Indian defence advisers in Islamabad as persona non grata, ordering their immediate expulsion.
- Reduction of Indian High Commission staff in Islamabad to 30 persons.
- Closure of Pakistani airspace to all Indian aircraft.
- Suspension of all trade activities with India, including indirect trade via third countries.
- A statement that India’s current trajectory of aggression reaffirms the ideological basis of Pakistan’s creation under the Two-Nation Theory.
The NSC also indicated that Pakistan reserves the right to suspend all bilateral agreements with India, including the historic Simla Agreement, should New Delhi continue with its aggressive posture, violations of international law, and state-sponsored violence in and beyond Kashmir.
