India and Pakistan are locked in a spiral of escalatory moves after gunmen killed 26 tourists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday in the worst such attack in a quarter of a century. On Wednesday, India announced it was suspending its participation in the Indus Water Treaty, closing the Wagah-Attari border, expelling Pakistan’s military attaches from its high commission in New Delhi, and cutting back diplomatic presence at missions in New Delhi and in Islamabad. New Delhi has also asked Pakistanis on a special visa to leave the country within 48 hours. Among these steps, the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty is the most significant step: Pakistan relies heavily on the waters of the Indus and India could, in theory, curtail the flow of waters into Pakistan. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan retaliated on Thursday, while rejecting allegations of its involvement in the Pahalgam attack, by stating that it shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement signed after the 1971 war, in abeyance. It barred Indian flights from Pakistani airspace and also asked Indians on special visas to leave.
As tensions soar, the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi must act in a thought-out — rather than emotional — manner. Instead of pandering to war-mongering, Mr Modi should prioritise important issues. For instance, there are matters inside Indian territory that deserve the government’s focus first. The gunmen who carried out the attack are still on the run; arresting any of them alive would represent a major intelligence win. At the same time, reports of Kashmiris in different parts of India facing attacks and being asked to leave should be treated as a matter of utmost concern. Kashmiris are as much victims of terror sponsored from across the border as other Indians. Publicly asserting that and standing by Kashmiris should be the topmost priority of Mr Modi and his government. If India cannot defend its own citizens from xenophobia, it cannot meaningfully defend its national security against an external enemy. As for Pakistan, India must first establish facts about the attackers, the masterminds, Islamabad’s connections to them, and their motivations. It must make these findings public globally. An armed conflict is not in India’s interests. As Mr Modi has reminded others, this is not an era of war.