India has declared Pakistani military advisers posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as persona non grata and instructed them to leave the country within seven days. The decision was made during an emergency meeting of India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The move comes in response to a deadly militant attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed the development at a press briefing, stating that India will also withdraw its own military, naval, and air force advisers from its embassy in Islamabad.
In addition, India has suspended the special visa facility for Pakistani citizens under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme. All previously issued visas under this scheme have been declared invalid, and Pakistanis currently in India under this program have been ordered to leave within 48 hours.
India also announced the immediate closure of the Attari border crossing between the two countries.
Another significant decision from the meeting was India’s cancellation of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Signed in 1960 in Karachi by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, with World Bank mediation, the treaty is considered one of the most successful water-sharing agreements in the world.
These escalated measures mark a severe downturn in India-Pakistan relations amid heightened tensions over Kashmir.