Several Pakistani nationals began returning to their home country through the Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar on Thursday, a day after the Indian government set a 48-hour deadline for their departure. On Wednesday, the Indian government introduced a series of measures in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives. These measures included expelling Pakistani military attaches, suspending the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, and immediately closing the Attari land transit post.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that Pakistani nationals would no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption scheme (SVES). Any Pakistani nationals already in India under this scheme were given 48 hours to leave. The Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to shut the integrated check-post (ICP) at Attari, allowing individuals with valid documents who had crossed into Pakistan to return via that route before May 1.

On Thursday morning, several Pakistani families arrived at the ICP to return to Pakistan. One family from Karachi mentioned they had come to Delhi on April 15 to visit relatives, and while their visa was valid for 45 days, they were returning early due to the government’s decision. They expressed a desire for peace and friendship between the two nations.

Another Pakistani national, Mansoor, who arrived on a 90-day visa on April 15, condemned the Pahalgam attack and expressed his disapproval, saying such incidents should never happen. Some Indian nationals with visas to travel to Pakistan also reached the ICP, including a family from Gujarat intending to visit relatives in Karachi. Upon learning of the closure of the land-transit post, the elderly member of the family expressed readiness to return if necessary. Two men from Rajasthan, who arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday evening intending to cross into Pakistan, were unaware of the closure of the Attari transit post.