Pahalgam terror attack: India summons Pak’s top diplomat; Rajnath Singh to convene all-party meeting today

India has summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in Delhi and handed over in person the persona non grata note for its military diplomats. The service advisors and their support staff have been allowed a week’s time to leave the country.

As per reports, Saad Ahmad Warraich, the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi was summoned by Centre on Wednesday and was handed over persona non grata note for its military, navy and air advisors. The defence advisors and their five support staff have a week to leave India. India has also withdrawn its own defence, Navy and Air advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. 

The move comes after India announced a slew of measures against Pakistan in the wake of gruesome terror attack in which 26 tourists were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the following measures against Pakistan in the wake of the attacks.

• The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

• The integrated check post at Attari will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before 01 May 2025.

• Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India.

• The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own Defence/Navy/Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five support staff of the Service Advisors will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions.

• The overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effected by 01 May 2025.

All-party meet

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will convene an all-party meeting on Thursday and is likely to inform the opposition about steps taken by the Union government in the wake of the attacks. The move comes after several opposition parties including Congress demanded that the government convene a meeting of all parties over the issue.

Though opposition parties have condemned the attacks, they are likely to question the Centre over alleged security lapses that led to the attacks. 

India