India called Pakistan’s top diplomat, Saad Ahmad Warraich, to Delhi last night and gave him an official notice declaring some of Pakistan’s military diplomats as “persona non grata,” which means they are no longer welcome in India, according to news agency ANI.

This step was taken just hours after India announced five major diplomatic actions against Pakistan. These include stopping the Indus Water Treaty, closing the Attari border, and reducing diplomatic ties. The strong response came after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists.

The decision to reduce diplomatic ties with Pakistan due to its suspected link to the Pahalgam terror attack was made during a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting held on April 23. The meeting was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by key ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs updated the media about the strong actions taken after the terror attack in Pahalgam.

The attack took place on April 22 in the well-known Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. It happened while US Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia. After hearing about the attack, PM Modi returned to New Delhi early on Wednesday morning.

Pak denied claims

However, Pakistan has denied any involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. On April 23, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a local TV channel, "Pakistan has nothing to do with it (Pahalgam terror attack)." The Resistance Front (TRF) which is being said to be linked with Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, is suspected to be behind the deadly attack in Pahalgam. Some media reports have also named Saifullah Kasuri, also known as Khalid, a top Lashkar commander- as the possible mastermind. However, these claims haven't been officially confirmed, and Mint has not been able to independently verify them.

In response to India's strong diplomatic actions following the attack, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting will be held on Thursday. The meeting, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will focus on how Pakistan should respond to India’s steps. According to Pakistan-based Geo News, Asif said decisions will be taken to deliver an “appropriate response” to India’s actions.