New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday held discussions with all the chief ministers of states across India regarding the recent Pahalgam terror attack. He urged them to identify any Pakistani nationals residing in their respective states and to report the findings to the Centre for visa cancellations.
Shah’s directive follows the Indian government’s announcement on Wednesday that Pakistani nationals will no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption scheme (SVES). Furthermore, any Pakistani national currently in India under the SVES visa has been given 48 hours to leave the country.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) took swift action, issuing a statement on April 24 confirming that all existing valid visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be revoked starting from April 27.
“Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will remain valid only until April 29. All Pakistani nationals currently in India must depart before the expiry of their visas,” the MEA’s press release emphasized.
This significant move follows the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed.
