Pak talks tough on Indus Treaty

Pakistan closed its air space for Indian airlines and rejected New Delhi’s suspension of a critical water sharing treaty Thursday in retaliation for India’s response to a deadly Islamist militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir.

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The tit-for-tat announcements took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars, to the lowest level in years.

The latest diplomatic crisis was triggered by the killing of 26 men at a popular tourist destination in Indian Kashmir Tuesday, in the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings.

New Delhi said there were cross-border elements to the attack and downgraded ties with Pakistan Wednesday, suspending a 1960 treaty on sharing waters of the Indus River and closing the only land crossing between the neighbours.

Indian police published notices naming three suspects and saying two were Pakistanis, but New Delhi has not offered any proof of the links, or shared any more details.

Pakistan Thursday said it was closing its air space to Indian-owned or operated airlines, suspending all trade including through third countries and halting special South Asian visas issued to Indian nationals.