India cancels Visas for Pakistanis amid escalating Kashmir tensions

India has announced the cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, effective Thursday, as tensions escalate sharply between the two neighboring countries. This decision follows India’s accusation that Pakistan was behind a recent deadly attack in the disputed Kashmir region, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, predominantly tourists.

Islamabad has strongly refuted these allegations.

The move by New Delhi comes against a backdrop of increasingly strained relations, with Pakistan also issuing a stern warning to India that any attempt to suspend their long-standing water treaty would be interpreted as an act of war.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement released on Thursday, declared that all valid residence permits held by Pakistanis would also be revoked.

This measure is set to take effect from Sunday, and all affected Pakistani nationals are required to depart India before their current visas expire, as mandated by the ministry.

Furthermore, the Indian government has issued a strong advisory to its citizens currently residing in Pakistan, urging them to leave the country at the earliest possible opportunity.

The ministry also explicitly discouraged any travel to the neighboring nation, citing the prevailing security situation.

The two South Asian nations, both nuclear-armed and with a history of three wars since their independence in 1947, find themselves once again locked in a tense standoff in the aftermath of the Kashmir attacks.

The diplomatic fallout has been swift, with both sides downgrading their diplomatic missions, closing crucial border crossings, and shutting down their respective airspaces to each other’s aircraft.

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Adding another layer of complexity to the crisis, India announced on Wednesday the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a crucial agreement brokered and guaranteed by the World Bank that governs the sharing of water resources between the two nations.

Pakistan responded vehemently to this announcement, with a stark warning issued from the Pakistani prime minister’s office.

The statement declared that “Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water … will be considered as act of war and responded to with full force across the complete spectrum of national power.”

These latest developments signal a dangerous escalation in the already fraught relationship between India and Pakistan, raising concerns about potential further conflict in the volatile South Asian region.

The international community will be closely monitoring the situation, urging both sides to exercise restraint and seek diplomatic solutions to de-escalate the rising tensions.