Foreign Office Issues Travel Warnings After Terror Attack in India and Pakistan

On April 24th, the Foreign Office released an urgent travel update on its website concerning travel to India and Pakistan. This advisory followed a deadly terror attack. The warning was issued just two days after a brutal attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, resulting in the deaths of 25 tourists and a local resident.

The attack occurred in Baisaran, a location known as 'mini Switzerland'. The Resistance Front, a group linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility. Local officials and India's home affairs minister, Amit Shah, labeled the incident a "terror attack." The Attari-Wagah Border, the international border between India and Pakistan, was closed due to escalating tensions.

The Foreign Office's advice for India included a warning against all travel within 10km of the India-Pakistan border, as well as a specific warning about the closed Wagah-Attari border. Travel to the region of Jammu and Kashmir was also discouraged, with exceptions for air travel to and from Jammu, travel within the city of Jammu, and travel within the Union Territory of Ladakh. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Saudi Arabia, returned early from his trip following the attack.

In response to the attack, the Prime Minister vowed that those responsible would be held accountable. The Foreign Office also issued travel advice for Pakistan, advising against all but essential travel within 5 miles of the international border with India. The Wagah border crossing was also noted as closed. Additionally, travel within 10 miles of the Line of Control was discouraged.

The incident has intensified tensions between India and Pakistan. India took several measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. Pakistan responded by stating that any attempt to divert water allocated to it under the treaty would be considered an "Act of War.