India withholds Pakistan govt’s official X account over Pahalgam terror attack

New Delhi: The official X handle of the Government of Pakistan has been withheld by India following the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people and injured several others.

Earlier, in a strong diplomatic offensive following the brutal attack, India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and handed over a formal Persona Non Grata note for all its military attaches, sources said.

These moves come after 26 people were killed and many others injured in the deadly assault that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has termed a “cowardly attack on innocent civilians.”

The attack, believed to be orchestrated by Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front, has triggered a series of sweeping retaliatory actions from India.

Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which lasted over two hours and was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, among others.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) outlined a series of measures aimed at directly targeting Pakistan’s diplomatic, economic, and military linkages with India.

India has declared Pakistan’s Defence, Military, Naval, and Air Advisors posted in the High Commission in New Delhi as Persona Non Grata. The expelled officials have been ordered to leave Indian territory within a week. Simultaneously, India is withdrawing its own Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, annulling all such diplomatic postings. Five supporting staff associated with these positions will also be recalled from both sides.

In a historic move, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, marking the first time the landmark agreement has been placed in abeyance. The MEA confirmed that the decision will stay in effect until Pakistan takes verifiable steps to end its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism.

Further escalating the diplomatic standoff, India has announced the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, a vital land route between the two nations. Pakistani nationals currently in India with valid travel documents have been directed to return home via the ICP by May 1, 2025. Post this deadline, all overland travel between the countries will be suspended indefinitely.

In another major step, Pakistani citizens will no longer be allowed entry into India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). All previously issued SVES visas to Pakistani nationals have been revoked, and those in India under the scheme have been given 48 hours to leave.

Additionally, both countries will reduce their respective High Commission staff strength from 55 to 30 by May 1, as part of a reciprocal measure to scale down diplomatic presence and limit bilateral interaction.

The CCS has also directed Indian armed forces and security agencies to remain on the highest level of alert in view of the continuing threat. Officials said the hunt for the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack has intensified, with a fresh National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on the ground.

Reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on terrorism, India reiterated its commitment to hold not just the perpetrators but also their sponsors accountable. Citing recent extraditions like that of Tahawwur Rana, officials said the country would continue its global diplomatic efforts to bring all individuals involved in anti-India terror activities to justice.

IANS