India Cancels Pakistani Visas, Urges Indians in Pakistan to Return Home
After the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, India cancels all Pakistani visas, suspends visa services, and urges Indians in Pakistan to return home.
New Delhi | April 24, 2025 — In a firm diplomatic step after the brutal terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the government of India on Thursday cancelled all existing visas given to Pakistani citizens and suspended all types of visa services for Pakistan with immediate effect.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a formal statement, confirmed that this blanket order was issued after the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that had a meeting following Tuesday’s terrorist attack that left 26 dead—most of them tourists to the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam.
“All standing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals are revoked effective April 27, 2025. Medical visas granted to Pakistani nationals would be valid up to April 29, 2025,” the MEA said.
Visa Suspension and Travel Advisory
Besides cancelling existing visas, the MEA has also directed complete suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals. No new visas shall be issued till further orders. Pakistani nationals who are already in India have been asked to depart prior to the revised expiry date of their visas.
In addition to further augmenting the response, the Indian government has also released a travel advisory calling upon all Indian citizens to desist from travelling to Pakistan. Indians present in Pakistan are requested to return to India as soon as possible.
Diplomatic Outreach Intensifies
Making its global case against cross-border terrorism, India has called up ambassadors of many of the leading countries—among them the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Poland, Russia, and China—to inform them of the attack at Pahalgam and the developing evidence.
The MEA has outlined information about the attack, such as its reported claim by The Resistance Front (TRF), a front organization of the Pakistan-based and proscribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This incident is one of the most deadly attacks in Kashmir after the 2019 Pulwama attack, when 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The Pahalgam massacre has called for a serious national and global pressure from New Delhi to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and increase internal security protocols.
India’s new moves mark a toughening of its response to terrorism originating from the other side of the border, and further diplomatic and strategic measures can be anticipated in the days to come.
