India and Pakistan escalate diplomatic standoff after deadly Kashmir attack

Tensions between India and Pakistan continue to escalate following a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, with both nations announcing sweeping retaliatory measures affecting travel, trade, and diplomatic ties.

On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced the immediate suspension of all visa services for Pakistani nationals, including the revocation of existing visas starting April 27. The only exception applies to medical visas, which will remain valid until April 29. Pakistani nationals currently in India have been instructed to leave before their revised visa expiry dates.

The ministry also issued a strong travel advisory, urging Indian nationals to avoid traveling to Pakistan and advising those currently there to return to India as soon as possible.

These new measures follow Wednesday’s announcement of major diplomatic steps taken by India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead—25 of them Indian nationals and one a citizen of Nepal.

The Indian government, citing cross-border links to the attackers, has already suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Integrated Check Post at Attari, revoked all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas for Pakistani nationals, and ordered a reduction in the diplomatic staff at both countries’ high commissions.

In response, Pakistan announced on Thursday that it would close its airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines, suspend all trade with India—including trade routed through third countries—and halt the issuance of special South Asian visas to Indian citizens, according to Reuters.

The tit-for-tat measures mark a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations and come amid heightened security across India. The attack in Baisaran Valley was one of the deadliest in the region in recent years and was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a group Indian officials describe as a proxy of the Pakistan-based militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that the perpetrators will be brought to justice and that those supporting cross-border terrorism will face consequences. The Cabinet Committee on Security has directed Indian forces to maintain a state of high vigilance.