NEW DELHI — The official X handle of the Government of Pakistan has been
withheld by India following the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's
Pahalgam, which killed 26 people and injured several others.
Earlier, in a strong diplomatic offensive following the
brutal attack, India summoned Pakistan's top diplomat in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad
Warraich, and handed over a formal Persona Non Grata note for all its military
attaches, sources said.
These moves come after 26 people were killed and many
others injured in the deadly assault that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
termed a "cowardly attack on innocent civilians."
The attack, believed to be orchestrated by Pakistan-based
terror outfit The Resistance Front, has triggered a series of sweeping
retaliatory actions from India.
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level
meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which lasted over two hours
and was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, among others.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) outlined a series of measures aimed at directly
targeting Pakistan's diplomatic, economic, and military linkages with India.
India has declared Pakistan's Defence, Military, Naval,
and Air Advisors posted in the High Commission in New Delhi as Persona Non
Grata. The expelled officials have been ordered to leave Indian territory
within a week. Simultaneously, India is withdrawing its own Defence, Navy, and
Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, annulling all such
diplomatic postings. Five supporting staff associated with these positions will
also be recalled from both sides.
In a historic move, India suspended the Indus Waters
Treaty of 1960, marking the first time the landmark agreement has been placed
in abeyance. The MEA confirmed that the decision will stay in effect until
Pakistan takes verifiable steps to end its sponsorship of cross-border
terrorism.
Further escalating the diplomatic standoff, India has
announced the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, a
vital land route between the two nations. Pakistani nationals currently in
India with valid travel documents have been directed to return home via the ICP
by May 1, 2025. Post this deadline, all overland travel between the countries
will be suspended indefinitely.
In another major step, Pakistani citizens will no longer
be allowed entry into India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). All
previously issued SVES visas to Pakistani nationals have been revoked, and
those in India under the scheme have been given 48 hours to leave.
Additionally, both countries will reduce their respective
High Commission staff strength from 55 to 30 by May 1, as part of a reciprocal
measure to scale down diplomatic presence and limit bilateral interaction.
The CCS has also directed Indian armed forces and
security agencies to remain on the highest level of alert in view of the
continuing threat. Officials said the hunt for the perpetrators of the Pahalgam
attack has intensified, with a fresh National Investigation Agency (NIA) team
on the ground.
Reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on terrorism, India
reiterated its commitment to hold not just the perpetrators but also their
sponsors accountable. Citing recent extraditions like that of Tahawwur Rana,
officials said the country would continue its global diplomatic efforts to
bring all individuals involved in anti-India terror activities to justice.
