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India on Wednesday announced a slew of stringent diplomatic measures against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack that left 26 dead."CCS condemned Pahalgam attack in strongest terms and expressed its deepest condolences to families of victims," said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.The Ministry of External Affairs' Secretary Misri announced during a press briefing that Pakistani visas will be cancelled while the Wagah-Attari border will be closed with immediate effect. Moreover, the Indus Waters Treaty between the two countries will also be suspended with immediate effect.Also Read | India pulls the plug on Indus Waters Treaty: What it means Here are key decisions:The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effectThe Integrated Check Post Attari will be closed with immediate effect. Those with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025.Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India.The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own Defence/Navy/Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five support staff of the Service Advisors will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions. The overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effected by May 1, 2025.Also Read | Pahalgam attack: How trade, other ties will be impacted after India shuts Wagah-Attari route, cancels Pakistani SAARC visasA day after a dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which lasted over two hours. PM Modi cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and returned to Delhi on Wednesday morning.What do initial investigations reveal? Initial investigations into the audacious terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people indicate that the number of terrorists involved could range from five to seven, aided by at least two local militants who received training in Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday. According to the officials piecing together the available evidence, the role of Aadil Thokar alias Aadil Guree, a resident of Bijbehara, has emerged based on identification by the wife of one of the deceased tourists.Also Read | Pahalgam attack: India downsizes diplomatic ties with Pakistan; how will it impact embassy, defence personnel?Officials believe that Aadil Thokar crossed over to Pakistan in 2018 where he underwent armed training with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit before infiltrating back into India to carry out attacks.The probe suggests that while four terrorists lined up the tourists at the Baisaran meadows on Tuesday before firing at them from a point-blank range, at least one to three terrorists were strategically positioned to maintain watch for any approaching security forces.The terrorists were carrying body cameras to record their barbaric act, the officials said quoting eyewitnesses.At least six to seven pictures were shown to eyewitnesses out of which one identified Aadil as the terrorist who was pulling the trigger, the officials said, adding after the incident the terrorists vanished into the thick pine tree jungles of Pir Panjal.The officials said that while dozens of people had been rounded for questioning, efforts had been scaled up to nab the actual perpetrators of the heinous crime.Security agencies also released the sketches of three men suspected to be involved in the terror attack. The men, all three Pakistanis, are Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha, officials said.They had code names -- Moosa, Yunus and Asif -- and were involved in terror-related incidents in Poonch.Police also announced a bounty of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to the neutralisation of terrorists involved in the gruesome killings.How will Indus Waters Treaty's suspension impact Pakistan?The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could severely impact Pakistan, as the country heavily relies on the Indus river system for its water needs. Pakistan receives around 80% of the total water from this network, which includes the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers. These rivers are essential for irrigation, meeting nearly a quarter of Pakistan’s agricultural water demand. Since agriculture supports 68% of Pakistan’s rural population, any reduction in water availability could directly threaten food security and livelihoods. With major dams like Mangla and Tarbela providing only limited storage—just 10% of the annual water share—Pakistan lacks the capacity to store large amounts of water in case of shortages.Read more: India suspends Indus Waters Treaty: How it can hit Pakistan where it hurts most

India’s equity markets extended their winning streak for a seventh consecutive session on Wednesday, with a bullish breadth signal flashing across the broader market. According to Axis Securities, more than 80% of the stocks in the NSE500 index closed above their 50-day moving average—a technical threshold that historically suggests broad-based positive momentum.Axis Securities noted that this level of market breadth—defined by a high proportion of stocks trading above their 50-day moving average—has occurred 41 times in the past decade. In 75% of those instances, the NSE500 index posted gains over the next 20 trading sessions. The average return on these winning outcomes was 2.8%, while the average loss on the remaining cases was 2.0%. Overall, the average return stood at 1.6%.“This shift suggests that price action and investor sentiment are turning bullish across a broad set of stocks, not just the index heavyweights,” said Axis Securities.The brokerage added that this could be a good time for investors to reassess their strategy or add to existing winning positions, especially as breakout opportunities emerge in the broader market.The bullish technical signal comes amid sustained gains in Indian equities. On Wednesday, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 520.90 points, or 0.65%, to close at 80,116.49, reclaiming the 80,000 mark for the first time since the recent correction. The broader Nifty 50 index advanced 161.70 points, or 0.67%, to end at 24,328.95.The Sensex and Nifty have each surged over 8% in the past seven sessions, supported by renewed foreign institutional investment and easing global trade concerns. Market participants have also been encouraged by expectations that U.S. tariffs under the Trump administration will not adversely impact Indian exports.Meanwhile, despite the current bullishness, some technical indicators are beginning to flash early warnings. “The Nifty remained volatile after an optimistic start, supported by positive global cues,” said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities.De pointed out that a Hanging Man candlestick pattern formed on the daily chart, which often serves as a cautionary signal during an uptrend. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is also nearing a potential negative divergence.He noted that if the Nifty slips below the 24,300 mark, it could correct toward the 24,000–23,900 zone. On the upside, resistance is expected near the 24,450–24,500 range.While the short-term trend remains positive, Axis Securities advised investors to monitor positions closely and look for breakout opportunities amid the broad-based strength. The current setup, supported by historical data, suggests that momentum may continue—though caution is warranted as key resistance levels approach.Also read | Tariff relief hopes buoy D-Street higher for 7th day; Sensex adds 521 pts, Nifty above 24,300(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)