India Suspends Visa Services To Pakistani Nationals After Pahalgam Terror Attack
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday announced suspending visa services to Pakistani nationals in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed.
The government said that all the existing visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals will stand revoked from Sunday (April 27). The decision also stands applicable to medical visas issued to Pakistani citizens.
"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 existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April 2025," a government statement said.
"Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till 29 April 2025. All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended. Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid travelling to Pakistan. Those Indian nationals currently in Pakistan are also advised to return to India at the earliest," the statement added.
The latest development comes a day after the centre on Wednesday announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption scheme (SVES) and any Pakistani national currently in India under the SVES visa scheme had 48 hours to leave the country.
The decisions were taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which announced that the integrated check-post (ICP) at Attari will be closed with immediate effect and those who crossed over to Pakistan with valid documents may return through that route before May 1.
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