New Delhi/Islamabad: In a significant escalation following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, India has revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, including medical visas, and suspended all visa services for citizens of Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that the revocation will come into effect from Sunday, April 27, and all Pakistani citizens currently in India must leave before their revised visa expiration dates. Medical visas will remain valid only until Tuesday, April 29.
The MEA also strongly advised Indian citizens against travelling to Pakistan and urged those currently in the country to return at the earliest. These developments follow a high-level meeting of India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which outlined five strong retaliatory measures in response to the attack.
In a tit-for-tat response, Pakistan swiftly reacted on Thursday with its own set of countermeasures. It announced the suspension of all bilateral agreements, including the crucial Simla Agreement, which underpins the peace framework and Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Pakistan declared the closure of its airspace for all Indian carriers with immediate effect.
Following a meeting of its National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan issued a stern warning regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, threatening full retaliation if India attempts to stop or divert the flow of rivers that supply water to Pakistan. It called any such move an “Act of War.”
The sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours marks one of the most serious escalations in recent years, raising concerns of regional instability and the future of long-standing treaties and dialogue mechanism.