India, Pakistan get involved in reciprocal expulsion of diplomats

(MENAFN) India and Pakistan have expelled diplomats from each other’s embassies in a reciprocal move, accusing the officials of espionage and further straining already tense bilateral relations.

On Tuesday, New Delhi expelled a Pakistani diplomat for allegedly engaging in activities “beyond his official duties,” which Indian authorities claimed involved espionage. India’s Foreign Ministry also lodged a formal complaint with Pakistan’s top diplomat in New Delhi regarding the incident.

In response, Islamabad declared an Indian diplomat persona non grata and ordered him to leave Pakistan, citing behavior “incompatible with his diplomatic status.” The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said it had issued a formal protest similar to India’s.

The tit-for-tat expulsions follow a recent announcement of a temporary military pause between the two nations after a brief escalation. They also come shortly after both countries downgraded diplomatic relations in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.

In the wake of the attack, India took several steps to reduce diplomatic and trade engagement with Pakistan, including limiting embassy staff, halting visa services for Pakistani citizens, and suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the shared use of the Indus River system.

Indian media have linked the expelled Pakistani diplomat to the unauthorized sharing of sensitive photographs and data from Indian military bases with Pakistan’s intelligence services. Additionally, two individuals in Punjab were arrested on Sunday for allegedly passing classified information to a Pakistani contact.

Following the expulsions, the number of diplomats in each country’s mission has been reduced to 29.

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