‘Do Not Travel’: US issues advisory to its citizens for J&K after Pahalgam attack | Latest News India

The United States on Thursday issued a ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory to its citizens for Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the deadly terror attack in the Union territory’s Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed.

“Terrorist attacks and violent civil unrest are possible in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Do not travel to this state (with the exception of visits to the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh). Violence happens sporadically in this area and is common along the Line of Control (LOC) between India and Pakistan. It also occurs in tourist spots in the Kashmir Valley: Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.  The Indian government does not allow foreign tourists to visit certain areas along the LOC. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from travel to Jammu and Kashmir,” the US Department of State’s updated travel advisory for US citizens read.

Pahalgam terror attack LIVE coverage

It also asked its citizens to avoid going within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border “due to the potential for armed conflict.”

Terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.

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In a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump strongly condemned the terror attack and expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of the “heinous attack.”

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India’s big punitive move against Pakistan

India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and announced downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan, including expulsion of its military attachés, given the cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Indus Waters Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.

At the same time, the agreement allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty gives India 20% of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80% to Pakistan.