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India expels another Pakistan High Commission staffer, second in a week

On May 13, New Delhi had expelled an official of the Pakistan High Commission for “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status”.

A man protests outside Pakistan High Commission after terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam in April. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

India on Wednesday expelled a Pakistani official for “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status”, the second such move in a week that brings down the effective strength of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi to 28.

“The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours,” a statement by Ministry of External Affairs said.

“Charge d’Affaires, Pakistan High Commission, was issued a demarche to this effect today. He was asked to strictly ensure that none of the Pakistani diplomats or officials in India misuse their privileges and status in any manner,” it added.

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On May 13, New Delhi had expelled an official of the Pakistan High Commission for “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status”.

Sources in the government said the expelled Pakistani officials have been linked to some recent arrests in Punjab. Since last week, the police in Punjab and Haryana have arrested at least three people, including a woman YouTuber, for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

Also read | Post-Pahalgam diplomatic push

India had earlier expelled 25 Pakistan diplomats and officials, including those from the military, from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, reducing their strength from 55 to 30 as part of a series of diplomatic retaliatory steps after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. New Delhi also withdrew 25 of its diplomats from its High Commission in Islamabad.

Shubhajit Roy

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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