Identify and deport all Pakistanis: Amit Shah’s stern directive after Pahalgam terror attack

Following the devastating terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 28 lives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed all state governments to identify and deport Pakistani nationals residing within their jurisdictions.

This directive, conveyed personally by Shah to each Chief Minister, comes amid a broader crackdown on Pakistan in response to what India has described as "irrefutable evidence" of Islamabad's involvement in the assault.

The attack, carried out Tuesday afternoon in the picturesque Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, was the deadliest on Indian soil since the Pulwama bombing of 2019, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. Visuals from the site, widely circulated on social media, show the attackers — five armed terrorists — selectively targeting men, with one chilling clip capturing a terrorist telling a woman to “go tell Modi”.

Among the victims was a newly-wed Indian Navy officer, vacationing with his wife. Tourists and civilians were among the 26 killed in the meticulously coordinated ambush.

In a five-pronged diplomatic offensive, the Indian government on Wednesday announced the cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, effective April 27. Medical visa holders have been granted an additional 48-hour grace period.

Additionally, India has taken the extraordinary step of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, a foundational 1960 agreement between the two countries on sharing the waters of the Indus River system.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri presented concrete evidence of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the attack to senior diplomats from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and China. Intelligence sources point to direct operational control by Lashkar-e-Taiba leadership, including Hafeez Saeed and his deputy Saifullah, both believed to be orchestrating terror from Pakistani soil.

In retaliation, Pakistan dismissed India’s suspension of the IWT as “an act of war” and responded by closing its airspace to Indian carriers and declaring a suspension of the Simla Agreement, a key diplomatic accord dating back to 1972.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public gathering in Bihar, issued a stern warning to those behind the attack, stating in English, “From the soil of Bihar, I am telling the world that India will identify and punish every terrorist, and those behind them.”

Echoing this sentiment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared in Delhi that retribution will not stop with the attackers: “We won’t only punish the monsters who carried out this barbaric act, but also those hiding behind the curtains.”

Meanwhile, an all-party meeting was convened in Delhi to brief political leaders. Opposition parties questioned the lack of military presence in Baisaran, the remote tourist destination where the attack took place. The government responded that the area typically sees heightened security only in the run-up to the Amarnath Yatra in June.

A manhunt is underway to locate the three attackers still at large, as the nation braces for the next steps in what is quickly escalating into a full-blown diplomatic standoff.