India Shuts Border With Pakistan, Cancels SAARC Visas After Kashmir Attack

India has officially suspended travel privileges for Pakistani citizens under the SAARC visa exemption program, following heightened security concerns in the Kashmir region. The move was confirmed on Wednesday by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and comes in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 26 people dead.

As part of this diplomatic shift, the primary border crossing between the two South Asian nations will be temporarily closed. The Indian government has also announced the suspension of a longstanding Indus Waters Treaty agreement, and ordered the expulsion of select Pakistani diplomats.

Visas previously granted to Pakistani nationals under the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) arrangement are now void. Those already in India under this exemption have been instructed to exit the country within 48 hours.

This action follows growing frustration in New Delhi over what it describes as “continued cross-border terrorism”—an allegation that Islamabad strongly denies. India’s demand includes a formal stance from Pakistan denouncing any form of militant support, which remains a point of contention between both nations.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Security Council is scheduled to convene on Thursday to assess the geopolitical fallout. In an official statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry expressed sympathy over the lives lost in the Kashmir incident and extended condolences to the victims’ families.

This development marks another strain in Indo-Pak relations and reflects a broader pattern of increasing regional instability in South Asia.