New Delhi– India announced on Thursday the immediate suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals, following a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement confirming the suspension, adding that all valid visas previously granted to Pakistani nationals will be revoked effective April 27, 2025. Medical visas will remain valid until April 29, 2025. The MEA directed all Pakistani nationals currently in India to leave before their amended visa expiration dates.
Indian nationals have also been “strongly advised” against traveling to Pakistan, and those currently in Pakistan are urged to return to India “at the earliest opportunity.”
The move follows a high-level CCS meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening, where the committee reviewed the security situation in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen and injured several others.
In a significant diplomatic measure, the CCS also announced that Pakistani nationals will no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). All previously issued SVES visas for Pakistani nationals are deemed canceled, and any Pakistani citizens currently in India under SVES must leave within 48 hours.
Additionally, the CCS decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly” ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
During the CCS briefing, officials outlined the cross-border connections to the Pahalgam attack, emphasizing that the attack occurred as the Union Territory was progressing through successful elections and economic development initiatives.
Further, the CCS announced the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post at Attari. Pakistani nationals who entered India through this route with valid endorsements may return via the same checkpoint until May 1, 2025.
Condemning the Pahalgam attack “in the strongest possible terms,” the CCS vowed to hold the perpetrators and their sponsors accountable.
“As demonstrated with the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India will remain unrelenting in its pursuit of those who commit acts of terror or conspire to enable them,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated on Wednesday. (Source: IANS)
