India on Thursday announced revoking all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 and advised Indian nationals residing in Pakistan to return home at the earliest as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
New Delhi also announced suspending visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect as part of the retaliatory measures over the cross-border links to the worst terror strike on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The latest move came a day after India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27.
It said medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.
The MEA said all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave the country before the expiry of visas.
It also “strongly advised” Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Pakistan.
“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. Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.”
“All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended,” it said.
The number of Pakistani nationals holding Indian visas is not immediately known.
The new retaliatory actions shut down the few existing diplomatic mechanisms between the two sides taking bilateral relations to yet another new low.
As part of the punitive measures, India on Wednesday also announced expelling Pakistan’s three military attaches and directed Islamabad to to downsize the staff strength at its high commission in New Delhi from 55 to 30.
New Delhi also asked all Pakistanis who entered the country via the Attari land border to leave by May 1. (PTI)
