What is SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme that India cancelled for Pakistan nationals after Pahalgam attack?

After a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the aftermath of the terror strike in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, the Indian government has announced that Pakistan nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES).
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After a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the aftermath of the terror strike in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, the Indian government has announced that Pakistan nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES).

“Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced on Wednesday (April 23, 2025)

“The CCS also declared defence, Navy, and Air advisors in the Pakistani High Commission here as persona non grata (PNG). “They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own defence, Navy, Air advisers from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five support staff of the Service Advisers will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions,” he said,

What is SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme?

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme was launched in 1992. The Fourth Summit, which took place in Islamabad in December 1988, decided that certain categories of dignitaries from SAARC countries should be entitled to a Special Travel document that would exempt them from visas within the region.

Currently, the list included 24 categories of entitled persons, which include Dignitaries, Judges of higher courts, Parliamentarians, Senior Officials, Businessmen, Journalists, Sportspersons etc

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on December 8, 1985. At present, SAARC comprises eight Member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

The Visa Stickers are issued by the respective Member states to the entitled categories of that particular country. The validity of the Visa Sticker is generally for one year. The implementation is reviewed regularly by the Immigration Authorities of SAAR Member states.

The SAARC visa stickers was to ensure that their travel is not limited to any specific cities and would save them from the hassles like police reporting and filling of extra forms on entry in any of the eight SAARC countries.

Besides Visa Exemption Scheme, SAARC countries also have internship programme to engage people in academia on affairs on South Asian countirs and SAARC countries also have other cooperation in poverty alleviation, tourism and agricultural sector.