The Attari-Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan was completely shut on Thursday, halting all cross-border movement amid heightened tensions following the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
The closure comes after a week-long surge in departures and entries from both sides, triggered by the Centre’s order for Pakistani nationals with short-term visas to leave India.
“The Attari-Wagah border crossing point is completely closed now and no one from either country crossed over to the other side on Thursday,” two official sources told news agency PTI.
The shutdown came after a steady outflow of Pakistani nationals from India over the past week. On Wednesday, 125 Pakistani citizens left the country, taking the total number of exits through Attari to 911 over seven days.
Meanwhile, 15 Indian citizens holding Pakistani visas crossed over to Pakistan on Wednesday. The cumulative number of such Indian exits stood at 23.
In the past week, 152 Indian nationals and 73 Pakistani nationals holding long-term Indian visas entered India through the international border crossing in Punjab’s Amritsar district. These additions brought the total number of long-term visa holders entering India to 1,617 Indians and 224 Pakistanis, respectively.
The wave of departures and the subsequent border shutdown come in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 25 tourists and one pony handler in Jammu and Kashmir. In response, the Indian government issued a ‘Leave India’ notice to all Pakistani citizens holding short-term visas, excluding those with diplomatic, medical, or long-term authorisations.
Earlier today, the Centre allowed Pakistani nationals staying in India to return via the Attari-Wagah border until further orders, but Pakistan was yet to open the border gates. The latest Home Ministry order modified its previous direction that said the border would be closed on April 30.
“The order has been reviewed and, in partial modification, it is now ordered that Pakistani nationals may be allowed to exit India to go into Pakistan from the Integrated Check Post at Attari till further orders, with due clearance,” the latest order said.
