Pakistan holds shutdown strike over India's water treaty suspension

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - A nationwide shutdown strike was held across Pakistan on Saturday to protest India's suspension of a crucial water treaty with Islamabad, and to show solidarity with Palestine and Kashmir.

Supported by several traders and business associations, the strike call was issued by Jamaat-e-Islami, a major mainstream religio-political party, which has been vocal against Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

The call received an effective response in the country's commercial capital Karachi, where major markets, along with business and shopping centers remained closed.

Footage aired by multiple local broadcasters showed markets, bazaars, and shopping centers remained closed in the capital Islamabad, as well as in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and many other areas. Small markets and shops, including pharmacies in several localities, however, remained open.

Traders took out rallies in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and others cities to condemn India's suspension of 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, along with several other actions, after gunmen killed 26 people in the Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this week.

Already heightened tensions between the two nuclear rivals have further plummeted after the latest incident.

New Delhi's actions prompted Pakistan to announce retaliatory steps, which includes the closure of its airspace for Indian airlines and the suspension of the 1972 bilateral Simla Agreement -- a pact that promotes bilateral dispute resolution and respect for the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.

* Aamir Latif contributed to this story.