India has ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country within 72 hours after a militant attack in Kashmir killed 26 tourists.

Vikram Misri, the Indian foreign secretary, accused Pakistani leaders of sponsoring ‘cross-border terrorism’ as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ‘identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers’ following the horrific attack near Pahalgam in the disputed region.

Indian police have said at least two of the four suspected gunmen behind the assault are Pakistani citizens, though Islamabad have denied any notion that it played a role in the shooting.

Pakistan responded by suspending all visas issued to Indian nationals under an exemption scheme with immediate effect and closing its airspace to Indian flights.

They also branded India’s decision to suspend a decades-old water treaty as a potential ‘act of war’.

Tensions have been rising between the two historical rivals since the tragedy, with fears that conflict could break out between the two nuclear-armed nations.

A statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs today said: ‘In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect.

‘All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April 2025.

‘Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till 29 April 2025.

‘All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended.

Indian police have said at least two of the four suspected gunmen behind the assault are Pakistani citizens, though Islamabad have denied any notion that it played a role in the shooting

Indian police have said at least two of the four suspected gunmen behind the assault are Pakistani citizens, though Islamabad have denied any notion that it played a role in the shooting

Tensions have been rising between the two historical rivals since the tragedy, with fears that conflict could break out between the two nuclear-armed nations

Tensions have been rising between the two historical rivals since the tragedy, with fears that conflict could break out between the two nuclear-armed nations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to 'identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ‘identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers’

‘Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid travelling to Pakistan. Those Indian nationals currently in Pakistan are also advised to return to India at the earliest.’

Tuesday’s attack occured in Kashmir, a region that each country controls parts of but claims in full. 

Rebels have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. 

New Delhi has regularly blamed Islamabad for backing gunmen in Kashmir, though Pakistan denies this.

On Tuesday gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and opened fire on the crowds of visitors, killing 25 Indian residents and one person residing in Nepal.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the ‘Switzerland of India’.

Following the attack, India’s aviation regulator said there was unprecedened demand from travellers and tourists desperately trying to get home. 

Modi responded furiously to the incident – which happened while US Vice President JD Vance was visiting the country – by pledging a ‘punishment bigger than they can imagine’ for the perpetrators.

On Tuesday gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and opened fire on the crowds of visitors

On Tuesday gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and opened fire on the crowds of visitors

Family members perform Hindu rituals in front of the body of Bharath Bhushan after the deadly attack in Kashmir

Family members perform Hindu rituals in front of the body of Bharath Bhushan after the deadly attack in Kashmir

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the 'Switzerland of India'

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the ‘Switzerland of India’

‘Our enemies have dared to attack the country’s soul… India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,’ he said. 

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, called the Indian response ‘immature and hasty’.

He added: ‘India has not given any evidence.

‘They have not shown any maturity in their response. This is not a serious approach. They started creating hype immediately after the incident.’

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif added: ‘India’s allegation against Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident is inappropriate. There should be no ambiguity that we strongly condemn terrorism.’

Experts have suggested that India could use military force in response to the attack. It could mirror their response to a militant attack on Kashmir in 2019, after which New Delhi launched airstrikes on Balakot in Pakistan.

In 2021, the two countries renewed a previous ceasefire agreement along their border, which has largely held despite attacks on Indian forces by insurgents.

‘Modi will have a very strong, if not irresistible, political compulsion to retaliate with force,’ Arzan Tarapore, a research scholar from Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, told CNN.

‘We don’t know what that would look like, and it’s somewhat meaningless to speculate at this point, but I think the 2019 Balakot crisis provides some cues on what to watch for in India’s response.’ 

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, called the Indian response 'immature and hasty'

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, called the Indian response ‘immature and hasty’

A statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs today said: 'In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect'

A statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs today said: ‘In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect’

There are now signficant fears of the consequences of an all-out war between the two neighbours.

India and Pakistan have armed themselves with hundreds of nuclear warheads, missile delivery systems, advanced fighter jets and modern weapons in recent decades.

About 1,500 people across Kashmir have been detained for questioning in connection with the attack, according to the BBC. 

Police have offered a reward of two million rupees – around £17,600 – for anyone offering information about any of the attackers. 

Part of India’s retaliation included suspending a decades-old water sharing treaty brokered by the World Bank in 1960.

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed up by Modi, decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, India’s Foreign Secretary confirmed last night.

He said: ‘The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.’ 

The Indus river, which flows through India to Pakistan, is crucial for millions of farmers in both nations. 

The suspension of water sharing ahead of the sowing season in Pakistan may have a significant impact on its crop production.

Supporters of Islamic political party Pakistan Markazi Muslim League burn a mock Indian flag during a rally against India's suspension of Indus Water Treaty over Pahalgam attacks

Supporters of Islamic political party Pakistan Markazi Muslim League burn a mock Indian flag during a rally against India’s suspension of Indus Water Treaty over Pahalgam attacks

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed up by Modi, decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed up by Modi, decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan have said that any attempt to stop of divert the water ‘will be considered an Act of War’. 

Senator Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environment, told MailOnline: ‘With zero evidence, India has laid the entire blame on Pakistan, and used this tragedy as an excuse to dismantle all diplomatic and other ties like the Indus Waters Treaty that have stood the test of time and several wars.

‘It is clear that their playbook is fundamentally focused on a rapid escalation of hostilities, irrespective of the obvious dangers in a nuclear neighbourhood.’

Ali Rehman Malik, chairman of the Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) International, added: ‘There is simply no justification for threatening a nation’s access to water. Water is not a political bargaining chip; it is the foundation of life. To withhold it is to deliberately endanger civilians, slowly, but surely.

‘Nowhere is this more urgent than in Pakistan, where the Indus River sustains nearly 90% of the country’s agricultural production and provides drinking water to over 200 million people. The Indus is not just a river, it is the lifeline of an entire nation.’

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