Over 450 Indians return home from Pak via Wagah after visa cancellations

More than 450 Indians have left Pakistan for their home via the Wagah border over the last three days after they were forced to cut short their visits because of cancellation of visas in the wake of developments following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Among those who left on Saturday were 23 Indians, who were part of a broadcast company of PSL (Pakistan Super League) 2025, officials said here.

The actual number of Indians crossing over on Saturday will be known later.

Around 300 Indians returned home on Friday and 100-odd on Thursday via the same route, the officials added.

At the same time, 200 Pakistani nationals have returned home from India, they said.

Terrorists opened fire in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 people, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.

In New Delhi, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday decided, among other things, to close the Integrated Check Post at Attari with immediate effect.

The Attari-Wagah border is located near Amritsar in India and Lahore in Pakistan.

New Delhi cancelled SAARC visa privileges to visiting respective nationals, a step soon followed by Islamabad.

In Pakistan, individuals holding long-term visas, Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and those with 'No Objection to Return to India' stamps were denied border crossing.

Some Indian-origin foreign nationals, including Sikh families, were stopped by Indian immigration and security officials from entering into Pakistan, the officials said.

An Indian-origin Canadian Sikh family that is residing at Nankana Sahib, some 80 kms from Lahore, reportedly was denied entry into India via Wagah border and was advised to opt for air travel via Dubai.

On Thursday, 105 Indian and 28 Pakistani citizens had left for their homeland.

Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and any such visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled, it was announced.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27 and added that the medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.

Mirroring India's steps, Islamabad on Thursday closed the Wagah border post, cancelled visas given to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and asked military advisers at the Indian High Commission to leave.

All cross-border transit from India through this route shall be suspended, without exception. Those who have crossed with valid endorsements may return through that route immediately but not later than April 30, Pakistan said.