Egypt Daily News – Relations between India and Pakistan have entered a new phase of tension after New Delhi requested that all Pakistani nationals residing in India leave the country by April 29, according to an announcement from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following a violent attack for which it blamed Islamabad.
In a statement, the Indian Foreign Ministry said, “Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the government has decided to suspend the issuance of entry visas for Pakistani citizens with immediate effect.” The statement added, “All their citizens currently in the country must leave before the expiry date of their visas”, April 27 for regular visas and April 29 for medical visas.
Indian sources reported that New Delhi has canceled all visas granted to Pakistani nationals including medical visas and has also suspended all visa services, in a major escalation with its neighbor following the Kashmir attack.
Under the new decisions, most Pakistanis currently now have only 72 hours to leave the country.
Pakistan, in response to the escalation, warned that any “threat” to its sovereignty from India would be met with “firm measures,” and announced the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to chair a meeting of the National Security Committee today, Thursday, to discuss the situation following India’s announcements. According to Geo News, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated, “The National Security Committee will issue a comprehensive response to India.”
On Wednesday, India held Pakistan responsible for an attack carried out by gunmen on Tuesday, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir. It also downgraded diplomatic ties and suspended a key water-sharing treaty that had remained in effect despite two previous wars between the nuclear-armed rivals.
The Resistance Front, a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility.
The attack is considered the deadliest targeting civilians in the troubled region in years, a region both countries claim in full.
