Modi govt's big action after Pahalgam attack: Pakistani diplomats asked to leave within a week, says MEA

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday said that Pakistani diplomats have been classified as persona non grata and have been asked to leave the country within a week. This was among the many decisions taken at the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the meeting. After the CCS meet, a one-to-one meeting took place between PM Modi and Amit Shah. All military advisers of Pakistan in India are declared as persona non grata.

"The Defence, Military, Naval, and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared persona non grata. They have a week to leave India.," the MEA said. As many as 25 Indians and a Nepali citizen have been killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. 

The MEA further said that Pakistani nationals have been banned from travelling to India under SAARC exempt visas. Any Pakistani nationals on India under these visas have 48 hours to leave the country. 

Any SPES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are also deemed to be cancelled. Any Pakistanis currently in India under these visas also has 48 hours to leave India.

New Delhi has also decided to withdraw its own Defence, Navy, and Air advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. "These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled."

Citing 26/11 key accused Tahawwur Rana's extradition, Misri said: "Perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice, India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed terror acts."

The government has vowed that the perpetrators of Pahalgam "will not be spared and brought to justice." Meanwhile, the central government is likely to convene an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on April 24, as per sources.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah visited the terror site in Baisaran Valley and met with some of the survivors and their families. The Pahalgam terror attack is the deadliest terror attack to have taken place in Jammu & Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack.