In the wake of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, India has suspended all visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

Following a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government declared that all valid Indian visas issued to Pakistani nationals stand revoked from April 27, 2025. However, medical visas will remain valid until April 29, 2025. All Pakistani nationals currently in India must exit the country before their revised visa expiration dates.

Indian citizens have also been strongly advised to avoid traveling to Pakistan. Those already in Pakistan have been urged to return to India at the earliest.

The CCS also decided that Pakistani citizens will no longer be allowed to enter India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Any SVES visas issued previously are now canceled. Pakistani nationals in India on SVES visas have 48 hours to leave the country.

Additionally, the government has chosen to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 unless Pakistan provides credible and irreversible assurances against supporting cross-border terrorism.

The CCS noted that the Pahalgam attack was timed to undermine the region’s progress after peaceful elections and a rise in tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. The cross-border origins of the attack were discussed in detail during the CCS briefing.

The Integrated Check Post at Attari has also been closed with immediate effect. Pakistani nationals who entered India with valid documentation must return via this route before May 1, 2025.

The terror attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, including 25 Indians and one Nepali tourist, and injured many others. The Indian government has vowed to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.

“As we did with the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India remains committed to tracking and prosecuting all individuals involved in terrorism against our nation,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.