The visa cancellations had been carried out in phases, with SAARC visas expiring on April 26, all different classes by April 27, and medical visas by April 29. The event got here after the Pahalgam terror assault which claimed 26 harmless lives on April 22.
In a powerful retaliatory transfer following the devastating terrorist assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, the Indian authorities has revoked 14 out of the 16 visa classes beforehand obtainable to Pakistani nationals. The step is seen as India’s toughened stance amid mounting proof pointing to Pakistan’s alleged involvement within the brutal assault.
The Ministry of Exterior Affairs is reportedly reviewing the standing of one of many remaining two visa varieties, signalling the potential for additional diplomatic tightening. In the meantime, safety businesses throughout the nation have additionally been instructed to take agency motion towards Pakistani nationals residing illegally inside India.
The visa cancellations had been carried out in phases, with SAARC visas expiring on April 26, all different classes by April 27, and medical visas by April 29. Notably, this sweeping visa revocation is a part of India’s broader technique to reassess its bilateral engagement with Pakistan and bolster nationwide safety following the tragic assault.
Record of visa varieties which have been cancelled:
- SAARC Visa
- Visa on Arrival
- Enterprise Visa
- Movie Visa
- Transit Visa
- Journalist Visa
- Medical Visa
- Convention Visa
- Mountaineering Visa
- Scholar Visa
- Customer Visa
- Group Vacationer Visa
- Pilgrim Visa
- Group Pilgrim Visa
Which visa varieties are nonetheless legitimate?
Amid restrictions, two varieties of visas will proceed to stay legitimate. Diplomatic, and Lengthy-term Visas (LTVs) are exempted from the latest restrictions and can nonetheless be issued below particular humanitarian and settlement-related grounds. LTVs might be granted to Pakistani nationals from minority communities, together with Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, and Parsis, who arrive in India with legitimate passports and categorical an intention to settle and search Indian citizenship. Moreover, Pakistani girls married to Indian residents, in addition to Indian-origin girls of Pakistani nationality returning to India as a result of divorce, widowhood, or different comparable causes, will even be eligible for such long-term visas. This measured exception displays India’s effort to steadiness nationwide safety issues with humanitarian and familial concerns.
Pahalgam terror assault
As many as 26 individuals, principally vacationers, had been killed and greater than a dozen others injured within the Pahalgam terror assault which occurred on April 22. This has been one of many largest terror assaults after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The federal government, nonetheless, has but to formally verify the variety of casualties within the terror assault in Pahalgam. Following the fear assault, safety forces launched search operations to trace down the terrorists accountable. Safety has been heightened for the reason that assault, with visuals from the realm exhibiting the streets abandoned within the often bustling vacationer space.