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All the existing valid visas issued to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April.
The directive also mandates that any Pakistani nationals currently in India under this scheme must leave the country within 48 hours. (Representative image)
Pahalgam Terror Attack: India has suspended all the visas issued to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect, in accordance with the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) a day earlier.
As per the notification released by the Ministry of External Affairs, all the existing valid visas issued to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April. Additionally, the medical visas would be valid till 29 April.
“In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect. All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended,” the press statement read.
Meanwhile, the government has clarified that the revocation of visas specified in the above decision does not apply to the Long Term Visas (LTVs) already issued to Hindu Pakistani nationals, which remain valid.
The ministry further advised the Indian citizens to avoid travelling to the neighbouring country and urged those currently in Pakistan to return to India at the earliest.
The announcement comes as part of the Indian government’s five-point rebuttal to the dreadful Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians and left many others wounded. The attack has been condemned as an assault on civilian peace and stability, and the government has vowed to take stringent measures against cross-border terrorism.
Read More: India Takes 5 Big Decisions In Key Security Meeting, Pakistan Takes Note
On Wednesday, India announced downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan including suspension of Indus Water Treaty, cutting Islamabad Mission strength and expulsion of its military attaches, in view of cross-border links to the devastating terror attack.
What Happened In Pahalgam?
In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Terrorists targeted a group of people, including women and elderly individuals, in the brazen attack afternoon.