ISLAMABAD, April 24. /TASS/. Pakistan is concerned about the deaths of tourists in the Indian part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, but considers New Delhi’s reaction to be politically motivated and unjust, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release following a meeting of the country’s National Security Council.
"Expressing concern over the loss of tourists’ lives, the Committee reviewed the Indian measures announced on April 23, 2025 and termed them unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible and devoid of legal merit," the press release reads.
Twenty-six people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen, were killed and many others were injured in a shooting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 as armed men in fatigues opened automatic rifle fire on tourists. The attackers demanded that some tourists show their identification documents, asking them questions about their religion.
On April 23, India, in light of Islamabad's alleged support for "cross-border terrorism," declared personae non gratae the defense, naval and air force advisers of the Pakistani Embassy in New Delhi, closed the key Attari-Wagah checkpoint on the border with the Islamic republic, and suspended a bilateral water-sharing agreement, the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi also banned entry to the country for Pakistani nationals on special travel documents issued to certain categories of dignitaries under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's visa waiver system.
Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947, when British India, having gained independence, split into two states along religious lines. Kashmir has no state border; its territory is divided by the Line of Control. Groups favoring secession remain active in the Indian part. New Delhi accuses neighboring Pakistan of supporting extremists, while Islamabad denies these accusations.