New Delhi, April 24 (H.S.): Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists, India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat, Saad Ahmed Warraich, and issued a formal ‘persona non grata’ notice. This designation requires certain Pakistani military diplomats to leave India within a week.

An emergency Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi resulted in key decisions taken against Pakistan, reflecting India’s serious stance on the attack. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi have also been declared ‘persona non grata’, with orders to exit India within a week.

In a reciprocal measure, India will recall its military advisors from Islamabad and temporarily close the Attari Integrated Check Post, allowing those who entered India through this route to return until May 1, 2025.

Furthermore, India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan and halted travel for Pakistani citizens under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), invalidating previously issued visas and mandating Pakistani nationals in India to leave within 48 hours. The staff at the Pakistan High Commission will be reduced from 55 to 30 by May 1, 2025.

The CCS emphasized heightened security and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to punishing the attack’s perpetrators and their backers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar