New Delhi, 24 April

The members of Anti-Terror Action Forum and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party protested near the Pakistan High Commission on Thursday in Delhi to condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Visuals from the protest showed people carrying placards with the message "Pakistan murdabad" (Down with Pakistan) and "Aatankwad ke aage nahi jhukenge" (Will not bow down before terrorism). The protests come a day after the Central government announced the reduction of diplomatic presence at both Indian and Pakistani High Commissions to 30 officials each.

Multiple leaders of the BJP, including Delhi Assembly MLA Satish Upadhyay and party leaders Harsh Vardhan, were present during the protest.

Party leader and former Union Minister Harsh Vardhan echoed the demands from the United Nations and the International community to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.

"The BJP in Delhi is expressing the sentiments that are in the hearts of the 140 crore people of India today. We assure PM Modi that we stand with him. It is our demand from the UN and the international community that Pakistan should be declared a state which supports terrorism," Vardhan told ANI.

At the same time, BJP MLA from Malviya Nagar, Satish Upadhyay, underlined the "anger in the hearts of people," and called the steps of suspending the Indus Water treaty and declaring certain Pakistan High Commission officers as 'Persona non Grata' as a "diplomatic surgical strike on Pakistan."

"There is anger in the hearts of people of India. Pakistan could not tolerate how Kashmir joined the mainstream...Yesterday, the Modi government conducted a diplomatic surgical strike on Pakistan. The Indian government will take action in response to this incident. We want to tell Pakistan that it cannot continue to indulge in cross-border terrorism now. Indian government and our military give a befitting reply to Pakistan," Upadhyay told ANI.

Following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the Ministry of External Affairs announced a series of strong measures in response, including the abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty "with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abjures its support for cross-border terrorism."

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, following nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan, with the assistance of the World Bank, which is also a signatory. The negotiations were initiated by Eugene Black, a former World Bank President. Recognised as one of the most successful international treaties, it has endured frequent tensions, including conflict, and has provided a framework for irrigation and hydropower development for over 50 years.

The Indus Waters Treaty was in the spotlight following the 2019 Pulwama attack. The treaty has been criticised for being too generous to Pakistan, even when it has continued to promote terror in India.

Apart from this measure, the government announced the closure of the Attari ICP, cancellation of SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme visas for Pakistani nationals, and reduction of diplomatic presence at both Indian and Pakistani High Commissions to 30 officials each by 1 May.