Pakistani nationals show their passports as they wait for clearance to cross the border at the Integrated Check Post at the Attari-Wagah border

A family with women having Indian passports and others Pakistani passports waits for clearance to cross the border at the Integrated Check Post at Attari-Wagah border, near Amritsar

Locals in Amritsar have lauded the decision of the Indian government to shut the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), among other diplomatic measures in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir

As many as 26 people were killed in the dastardly attack by terrorists on tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday

The attack, carried out by terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019

In response, the Central government announced on Wednesday the closure of Attari ICP, reducing the strength of High Commissions in India and Pakistan to 30 officials each, and suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas