New Delhi: In a sharp escalation of diplomatic measures following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government on Thursday revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, effective April 27, and urged Indian citizens in Pakistan to return home as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the deportation of Pakistani nationals living in India has already been initiated in good earnest. As of 5 pm on Thursday, 28 Pakistani nationals had been deported via the Attari border, although an official report from the Border Security Force (BSF) is yet to come.
Arun Mahal, border protocol officer of Attari sector, confirmed that, in addition to these deportations, 105 Indian citizens have also returned from Pakistan. Mirroring the increased tensions, the symbolic retreat ceremony at the border did not include the usual exchange of handshakes between security forces of the two nations. “The gates were kept closed and it has been decided that no such gestures will be followed at the event,” the official stated.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday confirmed the decision, stating that visa services for Pakistani nationals had been suspended with immediate effect. The move follows a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was convened to determine India’s response to the attack that killed 26 people— the deadliest since the 2008 Mumbai terror strike.
“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,” the MEA said in a statement.
“All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27,” the statement added. However, medical visas will remain valid until April 29.
Pakistani nationals currently in India have been directed to leave before their visa expiry dates. In a separate advisory, the MEA said, “Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid travelling to Pakistan. Those currently in Pakistan are advised to return to India at the earliest.”
The government also clarified that travel by Pakistani nationals under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme is now barred, and all previously issued SVES visas stand cancelled.
These steps come a day after India expelled three Pakistani military attaches, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, and closed the Attari land transit point — a key link between the two countries. Islamabad has also been instructed to reduce the strength of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi from 55 to 30.
“All Pakistanis who entered India via the Attari land border have been asked to exit the country by May 1,” said an official familiar with the directive.
In spite of the abrupt action, officials confirmed many of the deportations are being carried out on a voluntary basis, with people having valid travelling documents. Seven of the 28 deportees were living in Uttar Pradesh. Among one of the widely noticed cases was that of Shahnaz Begum, a Pakistani citizen of Karachi who came to see her mother, who was ill in Bareilly, on a visa for 45 days, valid up to May 6. In line with the government order, her time there was reduced. She had also complained about her passport and visa being stolen while she travelled by train—a complaint that had been filed with the Government Railway Police (GRP). She was taken to Delhi in police custody on Thursday and will be repatriated to Pakistan through the Wagah Border, officials said. The authorities in Bareilly are presently scrutinising the papers of 34 Pakistani citizens residing in the district on long-term visas.
In Bulandshahr, 6 Pakistani nationals visited the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) voluntarily after they heard about the revocation of the visas. They were all in India on short-term visit visas and had come to see their relatives. They left for the Attari border on Thursday to head back home.
The number of Pakistani citizens currently holding Indian visas remains undisclosed.
Officials described these developments as part of a broader set of measures aimed at responding to what New Delhi has described as “cross-border links” to the recent attack.