India Thursday summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and handed over the formal Persona Non Grata note for its military diplomats, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Kashmir.
This sharp diplomatic move came after a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in response to the April 23rd terrorist attack in Anantnag district, which left 26 tourists dead and several others injured.
The CCS, which included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, reviewed the internal and external national security environment and announced a series of aggressive measures.
Among the most notable decisions:
- All existing visas issued to Pakistani nationals have been revoked effective April 27, 2025, including SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) documents.
- Medical visas will only remain valid until April 29, 2025, and all Pakistanis in India must exit before their visa expiry.
- No new visas will be issued until further notice.
- The Attari Integrated Check Post has been closed immediately, with a deadline of May 1 for those already across the border to return.
- The Indian government has also instructed its citizens not to travel to Pakistan, and those already there are urged to return as soon as possible.
India has declared Pakistan’s Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors in Delhi persona non grata, giving them one week to leave the country. In parallel, India will withdraw its own military advisors and five supporting staff from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, reducing its overall staff from 55 to 30 by May 1.
In a move drawing international concern, India has also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)—a crucial bilateral agreement brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governing the shared river waters. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated this suspension will remain until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly abjures cross-border terrorism.”
India insists these measures are legal and defensive. However, Pakistan has called them unilateral, politically motivated, and irresponsible, accusing India of using the Pahalgam attack as a pretext to escalate false flag propaganda and target long-standing bilateral agreements, including the Simla Accord of 1972 and now the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Sardar Awais Leghari, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif have strongly condemned India’s actions, calling them “a blatant violation of international law” and a deliberate attempt to derail regional peace. The officials warned that such impulsive decisions could provoke retaliatory responses from Pakistan.
Observers noted that these steps by the Modi regime reflect a non-serious, aggressive posture, which could inflame already tense India-Pakistan relations and jeopardize regional security and stability for over 240 million people.
As both sides dig in, the UN, global powers, and regional stakeholders watch closely—wondering if this diplomatic flashpoint could spiral into a wider crisis in South Asia.
