New Delhi, May 22: After the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, both countries expelled a staffer each from their missions in each other’s capitals on May 13. On Wednesday evening, the Indian government declared a staffer of the Pakistan high commission “persona non grata” after he was found to be involved in spying, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
Pakistan responded at about 2.30 am IST by expelling a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. A statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the government declared the staff member “persona non grata for engaging in activities inconsistent with his privileged status”. The Indian staff member was directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours. The Indian chargé d’affaires was called to the foreign ministry to convey the decision. “It was stressed that none of the diplomats or staff members of the Indian high commission should misuse their privileges and status in any manner,” the foreign ministry said.
India too had asked the staffer of the Pakistani mission to leave the country within 24 hours, and the Pakistani chargé d’affaires, Saad Warraich, was issued a demarche on the matter. Warraich was “asked to strictly ensure that none of the Pakistani diplomats or officials in India misuse their privileges and status”.
At least 12 people from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been arrested over the past fortnight over alleged involvement with a Pakistan-linked espionage ring. Punjab Police announced on May 11 that they had arrested two persons for alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani national posted at the high commission in New Delhi. A day after the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 civilians, India announced a slew of punitive diplomatic and economic measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of the three defence attaches posted at the high commission and the whittling down of the total number of diplomatic staff posted in each other’s capitals from 55 to 30.
Tensions between the two countries spiked after India targeted terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan on May 7 under Operation Sindoor. After four days of intense armed clashes, the two sides reached an understanding on stopping firing and military action on May 10.