Pahalgam terror attack: ‘Identify all Pakistanis in India, send them back’, Amit Shah tells chief ministers

Pahalgam terror attack: In the wake of the recent terror attack that killed at least 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, Home Minister Amit Shah recently instructed chief ministers of all states to identify all Pakistani citizens in their jurisdiction, and inform the Centre so that their visas can be cancelled, said officials aware of the matter.

Amit Shah asked the CMs to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country, news wire PTI quoted sources as saying.

India on Thursday, April 24, announced revoking all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 and advised Indian nationals residing in Pakistan to return home at the earliest, as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Pahalgam terror attacks

Horror gripped Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam after terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadow near the picturesque town in south Kashmir on Tuesday, April 22, killing 26 people, most of them tourists. This marks the deadliest terror attack in the Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama attacks in 2019.

India suspends Indus Water Treaty; shuts Attari border

Following the lethal attacks in Pahalgam, India decided to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan indefinitely, and also shut the Attari-Wagah border.

“The integrated checkpost at the Attari-Wagah border will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on Wednesday, April 23.

Pahalgam terror attack: Terrorists singled out tourists

Eyewitnesses and relatives of the victims killed in the Pahalgam terror attack recounted harrowing details of how terrorists singled out tourists of a certain faith, asked men to recite 'Kalima' — a formal declaration of faith — and shot them dead.

“My husband was shot in the head… he was shot for not being a Muslim," a woman survivor told PTI over the phone.

Another eyewitness told India Today, “The terrorists suddenly appeared and began firing indiscriminately. While some of them opened fire, others grabbed the Hindus present and forced them to recite the Azan.”