India Expels Pakistani Official

(MENAFN) India on Wednesday ordered a Pakistani diplomat stationed at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to leave the country within 24 hours after designating him as "persona non grata."

This move reflects growing tensions between the two nuclear-armed South Asian nations.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs explained that the Pakistani official was expelled for “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India.”

The ministry's statement emphasized that the unnamed Pakistani diplomat had been instructed to depart India within a day.

No official comment had been made by Islamabad at the time the report was released at 1635GMT.

Furthermore, the Indian ministry conveyed a stern warning to the Pakistani mission’s charge d’affaires, urging him to “strictly ensure that none of the Pakistani diplomats or officials in India misuse their privileges and status in any manner.”

The expulsion marks the second such incident this month, indicating a pattern of reciprocal diplomatic removals. In response to a previous removal, Islamabad had taken a similar action.

This latest diplomatic fallout unfolds in the context of heightened military strain between the neighbors.

A ceasefire brokered by the United States came into effect on May 10, following a period of escalating violence that started on May 6.

During that escalation, India launched missile strikes on Pakistani territory and in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, targeting what it described as "nine terror locations."

Islamabad retaliated on May 10 by striking 26 Indian military sites both in Indian territory and in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Since the ceasefire announcement, both nations' armed forces have begun implementing “confidence-building measures to reduce alertness level,” aiming to prevent further conflict and stabilize the fragile peace.

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