New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) India on Thursday 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 that killed 26 people.

New Delhi also announced suspending visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect as part of the retaliatory measures over the cross-border links to the worst terror strike on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The latest move came a day after India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.

The punitive measures against Pakistan were decided at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27.

It said medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.

The MEA said all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave the country before the expiry of visas.

It also “strongly advised” Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Pakistan.

“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,” the MEA said in a statement.

“All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27. Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.” “All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended,” it said.

The number of Pakistani nationals holding Indian visas is not immediately known.

“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,” the MEA said.

The new retaliatory actions shut down the few existing diplomatic mechanisms between the two sides taking bilateral relations to yet another new low.

As part of the punitive measures, India on Wednesday also announced expelling Pakistan’s three military attaches and directed Islamabad to to downsize the staff strength at its high commission in New Delhi from 55 to 30.

Amid nationwide outrage over the terror strike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the killers of Pahalgam will be pursued “to the ends of the earth” as he promised to “identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers”.

In an address at a rally in Bihar’s Madhubani, Modi vowed to punish terrorists behind the strike and said India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism.

“Friends, today from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers,” he said.

“We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished,” he added.

“Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve. Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank the people of various countries and their leaders who have stood with us in these times,” he said. PTI MPB ZMN