In a decisive response to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack, India on Thursday, April 24, announced the immediate suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals, following a series of stringent measures approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on April 23.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared that all existing visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be revoked starting April 27, with medical visas remaining valid only until April 29. Pakistani citizens currently in India have been instructed to leave before their visas expire.

The MEA also issued a stern advisory, urging Indian nationals to refrain from travelling to Pakistan and calling on those in the neighbouring country to return home immediately. This comes alongside a significant downgrade in diplomatic relations with Pakistan, prompted by evidence of cross-border links to the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, including one foreign national, on April 22.

The attack took place in Baisaran, a picturesque meadow often called ‘mini Switzerland,’ located six kilometres from Pahalgam. Armed terrorists opened fire on unsuspecting tourists in the serene, pine-fringed valley, leaving a trail of devastation. The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the assault. Security agencies have since released sketches of three suspected attackers—Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha—and intensified efforts to bring them to justice.

On April 23, the CCS, India’s apex body on national security, unveiled a slew of punitive measures targeting Pakistan. These include the indefinite suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a historic agreement brokered by the World Bank that had endured through three India-Pakistan wars. The Attari-Wagah Integrated Check Post will be shut immediately, though those with valid endorsements may return via this route until May 1, 2025. Additionally, Pakistani nationals will no longer be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, with existing visas cancelled and a 48-hour exit deadline imposed.

Diplomatic ties have been further strained with the expulsion of Pakistani military advisers—naval and air officials—from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, declared persona non grata and given a week to leave. India will reciprocally withdraw its own defence advisers from Islamabad, and both nations will reduce their High Commission staff from 55 to 30 by May 1, 2025. Five support staff members from each side will also be withdrawn immediately.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, announcing the measures, highlighted the CCS’s findings of Pakistan’s role in the attack. “This heinous act came at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is making strides in economic growth and democratic progress post-elections.

The CCS has resolved to hold the perpetrators and their sponsors accountable, pursuing justice relentlessly, as seen in the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana,” he said. Misri also noted that security forces have been directed to maintain heightened vigilance across the country.

Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil endorsed the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling it a “bold and necessary step.” He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had previously warned Pakistan of consequences for supporting terrorism. “The culprits will face the full might of our response, just as they have in the past,” Paatil asserted.