A day after India decided to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan on Thursday said any such move would be seen as an “act of war” and announced a series of steps, including blocking its airspace for India, and the suspension of all trade activities.

After a meeting of its top committee on security, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office said Islamabad has decided to keep all bilateral agreements with India, including the Shimla Pact, in abeyance.

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Pakistan will also close down the Wagah Border Post, with immediate effect, and all cross-border transit from India through this route shall be suspended.

Pakistan said India cannot unilaterally exit from the Indus treaty as it involves global organisations like the World Bank and vowed to challenge the move legally. The PMO statement said water was a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people.

While condemning the Pahalgam incident and loss of innocent lives, the committee also rejected New Delhi’s accusation of Pakistan’s involvement in cross-border terrorism.

The diplomatic staff at the Indian High Commission will also be limited to 30 officers and the same will be applied to the Pakistan High Commission in India.

The committee decided that the Pakistan government will call on the World Bank and other global forums to raise the issue of India’s unilateral decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), stating that India has no authority to take any unilateral decision on the IWT as global forums including the World Bank are also party in the case.