India’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced that Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption programme.
The main border crossing linking the two countries will be closed, and there will also be a suspension of a water-sharing treaty and the expulsion of diplomats.
Any visas previously issued under the SAARC scheme “are deemed cancelled”, and any Pakistani national in India with these visas has been given 48 hours to leave.
This comes a day after 26 people were killed by gunmen in an attack in Kashmir.
India has further demanded that Pakistan renounce “support for cross-border terrorism,” something Islamabad denies.
Pakistan’s government has said its National Security Council, the country’s highest military and security body, would meet on Thursday.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, the Pakistani foreign ministry said it was “concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives” and expressed condolences.
