Home Ministry Strikes Hard: All Pakistan-Linked Visas to Be Cancelled

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): After the painful terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 (2025), the central government has taken unprecedented tough steps against Pakistan. 26 tourists were killed and 17 people were injured in this attack. In retaliation, the Union Home Ministry has issued instructions to cancel all visas related to Pakistan with immediate effect. Also, the decades-old Indus Water Treaty has been suspended and a decision has been taken to close the Attari border.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken an important decision to cancel all visas related to Pakistan after a high-level meeting with officials. The Home Ministry has issued instructions in this regard. Mr. Shah has also contacted the Chief Ministers of all the states and asked them to remove the Pakistani citizens present in their respective states as soon as possible.

Earlier, several tough decisions were taken against Pakistan in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The most important among these is the decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, which has been in force since 1960. India has sent a formal letter to Pakistan in this regard and informed about the suspension of the treaty. It is worth noting that the Indus river system is considered the lifeline for Pakistan and its population of crores depends on it for its water needs.

The government has also decided to close the Attari border. Pakistani citizens present in India have been given time till May 1 (2025) to return to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border. Apart from this, Pakistani Defense Advisors posted in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been ordered to leave India within a week. Also, with mutual consent, the approved number of staff in the High Commissions of both the countries has been reduced from 50 to 30.

All these steps are being seen as a direct response to the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which created a wave of grief and anger across the country. The government has given a clear indication that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost.