In the wake of the recent terror strike in Pahalgam, where 26 lives were lost and was attributed to Pakistan-based terrorists, the Indian government has imposed strict measures, such as the cancellation of some visas granted to Pakistani nationals. A deadline was given to these people to vacate India, and non-compliance will attract severe punishment.
Short-term Pakistani visa holders who do not exit India within the prescribed timeframe can be arrested and prosecuted and may be punished with three years of imprisonment and a ₹3 lakh fine. This instruction came from the Indian government after a terrorist group based in Pakistan was accused of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed.
According to the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which came into effect on April 4, any Pakistani national who fails to leave India by the stipulated deadlines will face serious legal repercussions. These penalties include:
The "Leave India" notice was sent to the Pakistani nationals with visas in 12 categories, such as visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim, and group pilgrim. The cutoff date for the holders of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) visas was April 27, 2025. For medical visa holders, the cutoff date for leaving the country is April 29, 2025.
In response to New Delhi's retaliatory moves, Islamabad also issued retaliatory orders and revoked visas issued to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES).
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had instructed all the chief ministers to identify such Pakistani nationals who need to be deported and make arrangements accordingly. The two border countries' ties have deteriorated following the Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based LeT proxy, accepting responsibility for the fatal attack in Pahalgam.
Pakistan denied any involvement and has urged an impartial investigation of the incident. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif have also asked for international participation in investigating the incident to maintain fairness.
Since the warning by the government and the deadlines set, a good number of Pakistani citizens have already departed from India. Up to April 28, 2025, more than 500 Pakistani nationals had crossed into their country via the Attari border. These include those who had entered India on some short-term visas that had been withdrawn due to the recent events.
The heightened traffic on the Attari-Wagah border serves to underscore the effect of the government's order and the apprehension of the draconian punishments facing those who do not depart from India within the stipulated timelines. Indian officials are keeping close tabs on events to enforce the orders issued and uphold national security.
India's policy to impose stiff penalties for overstaying by Pakistani visa holders follows directly from the Pahalgam terror attack, blamed on a Pakistan-based outfit. India's actions signal its intensified security concerns and willingness to act as a shield against possible threats following the incident and adopting a stringent approach towards compliance with immigration policies.