New Delhi: In a strong response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Central government on Wednesday took several decisions against Pakistan. On Tuesday afternoon, terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 26 people lost their lives, including 24 tourists, two foreign nationals, and two local residents. This attack is the deadliest in the region since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) held a high-level emergency meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence late on Wednesday night. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by key ministers and officials including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Key decisions after meeting
After detailed discussions, India made several major announcements, marking a sharp shift in diplomatic and security strategies:
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The Indus Water Treaty of 1960 will be suspended with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abandons its support for cross-border terrorism.
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The Integrated Check Post at the Attari Border will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed the border with valid approval may return through that route before 1 May 2025.
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Pakistani nationals will no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Any SVES visas previously issued to Pakistani nationals will be considered cancelled. Pakistani nationals currently in India under SVES visas must leave the country within 48 hours.
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Defence, military, naval, and air advisers at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata. They have one week to leave India.
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India will also withdraw its defence, naval, and air advisers from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These positions will be deemed abolished in the respective High Commissions.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “Defence, military, naval and air advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi are declared persona non grata. They have one week to leave India. India will recall its defence/naval/air advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts are considered abolished in the respective High Commissions. Five support staff of the service advisors will also be recalled from both the High Commissions. The total number of High Commissions will be reduced from the current 55 to 30 by further reduction by May 1.”
PM Modi chairs high-level CCS meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on Wednesday evening at his official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, to review the situation and finalize the government’s strategy.
The meeting, which lasted over two-and-a-half hours from 6 pm to 8.30 pm, was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, and the PM’s principal secretaries P.K. Mishra and Shaktikanta Das. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, also a CCS member, could not attend as she was returning from the US after cutting short her official trip due to the attack.
Amit Shah, who had visited Baisaran in Pahalgam and met the injured at a nearby hospital earlier in the day, briefed the Prime Minister during the meeting. PM Modi had also held an urgent meeting at the airport upon returning early from Saudi Arabia, where he discussed the situation with Jaishankar, Doval, and Foreign Secretary Misri.
