India on Wednesday night shut its airspace to aircraft registered in or operated by Pakistan as tensions spiked in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and armed forces raced to hammer out a plan to strike terror targets.
India’s note to airmen (notam) was issued hours after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reviewed security dynamics in Jammu & Kashmir as well as the developments unfolding in the region against the backdrop of the PM granting the military a free hand to respond forcefully to the attack that killed 26 people.
“Indian airspace is not available for…aircraft registered in Pakistan, aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Pakistani airlines or operators, including military aircraft,” read the notam, which is a form of notification from an aviation authority.
The restrictions, which came days after a similar move by Pakistan, will be in effect between April 30 and May 23, the notam said.
The developments came a day after a brigadier from the Indian Army’s directorate general of military operations spoke to his Pakistani counterpart over the hotline to discuss the unprovoked ceasefire violations, officials aware of the matter said, asking not to be named. The Pakistan military was warned against the unprovoked firings that continued for the sixth day on Wednesday, the officials added. The DGMO-level talks are scheduled every Tuesday.
The top committee met at a critical moment as tensions between India and Pakistan are at their highest since the 2019 Pulwama terror strike and Modi has publicly articulated the country’s resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism.It was attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
The CCS meeting at the PM’s residence in Delhi, the second after the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, came hours after an overnight exchange of fire between India and Pakistan along the international border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC); the neighbouring army targeted scores of forward Indian positions for the sixth straight day, the latest in a spate of ceasefire violations that have intensified tensions along the unstable frontier.
On Tuesday, Modi chaired a top security meeting where he underlined that the armed forces have complete operational freedom to choose “the mode, targets, and timing of the response” to the Pahalgam terror attack. Those present included Singh, Doval, chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs.
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to US secretary of state Marco Rubio, accusing India of “escalatory and provocative behavior”. “India’s provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups,” Sharif said, according to the statement released by his office.
The Pakistan Army, which has repeatedly targeted Indian posts along the LoC after the Pahalgam terror attack, on Wednesday opened fire across the IB for the first time since April 22 in a brazen attempt to escalate hostilities. Pakistani soldiers fired at Indian positions near the IB in the Pargwal sector near Jammu, and along the LoC in sectors including Akhnoor, Naushera, Sunderbani, Baramulla and Kupwara, seeking to open a wider front to engage the Indian Army, officials said.
Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively.
The gradual breakdown of the ceasefire understanding is only to be expected, said strategic affairs expert Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retired). “With tensions between the two countries and the build-up of forces along the LoC and IB, every movement will be looked at with suspicion. Under these conditions, expecting complete restraint on firing would be unrealistic,” Hooda added.
“India’s patience is being tested. The country has suffered loss but maintained restraint. However, restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. As India contemplates its next steps, it does so from a position of strength — backed by truth, international support, and a firm resolve to protect its people,” said one of the officials cited above.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire agreement around 15 times between January and early April 2025, HT learns. But the repeated targeting of Indian posts along the LoC, and now the IB, has sparked the most extensive cross-border exchange since the 2021 ceasefire.
Unlike isolated, brief exchanges that were quickly resolved through established channels, the current pattern involves simultaneous salvos at multiple points and has persisted with increasing frequency after the Pahalgam terror attack.
On April 22, a group of heavily armed terrorists emerged from the woods and targeted tourists on the Baisaran grassland near Pahalgam. Twenty-six people, 25 of them tourists and 24, Hindu were killed in the attack that was reminiscent of the heyday of terrorism in the 1990s and 2000s and the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes. The political leadership has pledged a muscular response.
Last week, Modi said India will pursue terrorists to the ends of the earth, while Singh talked about punishing not only those who carried out the horrific attack but also their handlers — interpreted as a stern warning to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, army and police officials continued their massive combing operation across the mountain forests of south Kashmir to trace the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Since the attack, India has already unfurled a bouquet of punitive diplomatic measures, suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties, expelling most Pakistani citizens in India, and shutting down the only operational land border crossing at Attari.
Pakistan has also unveiled tit-for-tat reactions to punitive measures announced by India but neither side has thus far indicated its intent to abandon the ceasefire. It has closed its airspace to Indian airlines, suspended all trade with India, and has threatened to suspend bilateral pacts such as the Simla Agreement.