- विज्ञापन -
Amritsar: In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government has announced the immediate closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post and issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Pakistani nationals holding SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas to leave the country. This sudden decision has disrupted numerous personal plans, including weddings and family gatherings.
Following the terror attack, a Pakistani citizen was seen returning to his country via the Attari-Wagah border, stating to ANI, “We came here just for sightseeing.”
Shaitan Singh from Rajasthan was supposed to cross the Attari border today to attend his wedding in Pakistan. He expressed his frustration, saying, “What the terrorists have done is wrong… We are not being allowed to go (to Pakistan) as the border is closed… Let us see what will happen now.”
Another local, Surinder Singh, also from Rajasthan, shared similar sentiments. He was planning to attend his brother’s wedding in Pakistan but will now have to postpone. He noted, “My grandmother and her four sons live in Pakistan, and one son is in India. The attack on tourists in Pahalgam was very wrong.”
The Indian government announced that the integrated check post at Attari would be closed immediately, with those who have already crossed over allowed to return through that route before May 1, 2025. Following the attack, India enacted strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its role in supporting cross-border terrorism.
During a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it was decided to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan credibly and permanently ceases its support for terrorism.
In addition to closing the Attari Integrated Check Post, India also canceled all visas issued under the SVES and mandated that Pakistani nationals leave the country within 48 hours.
Furthermore, Indian authorities declared the Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors at the Pakistani High Commission as persona non grata, ordering their departure within a week. As a security measure, India decided to withdraw its Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, effectively terminating those posts. The overall number of officials at both high commissions will be reduced from 55 to 30, effective May 1, 2025.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri detailed these decisions during a press briefing following the meeting.
