In a sharp escalation of diplomatic hostilities, Pakistan has expelled a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, declaring them persona non grata for allegedly engaging in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status. The move comes in direct retaliation to India’s expulsion of a Pakistani diplomat from New Delhi earlier the same day.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Indian official has been given 24 hours to leave the country. The Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad was summoned and handed a formal diplomatic demarche, echoing the tone and language used in India’s earlier announcement—highlighting the tit-for-tat nature of the latest diplomatic standoff.
The incident stems from a chain of events that began on May 11, when two individuals were arrested in Malerkotla, Punjab, for allegedly participating in an espionage network linked to a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in New Delhi. On May 13, India responded by expelling the Pakistani staffer, accusing them of involvement in spying activities and giving them 24 hours to leave.
Pakistan’s retaliatory expulsion is widely seen as an effort to maintain diplomatic parity, a recurring theme in the rocky relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The expulsions come amid heightened tensions following the April 23 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. In its aftermath, India took a series of unprecedented steps, including suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and closing the Attari land border crossing. Pakistan responded by closing its airspace to Indian flights and issuing strong warnings over the water-sharing agreement, declaring any tampering with it would be considered an act of war.
Such diplomatic expulsions are not new in India-Pakistan relations. A similar standoff occurred in 2020 when India expelled two Pakistani High Commission officials on charges of espionage, triggering a diplomatic protest from Islamabad. Both nations continue to cite the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which grants host countries the right to declare diplomats persona non grata without explanation.
Reactions to the current spat have been mixed. While some foreign policy analysts call Pakistan’s response routine and predictable, others see it as symptomatic of a deeper, worsening mistrust. The situation is further exacerbated by frequent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the long-standing conflict over Kashmir.
With the number of Pakistani diplomatic staff in New Delhi now reduced to 30 and a similar reduction expected for India in Islamabad, the scope for meaningful diplomatic engagement appears limited. The international community, including bodies like the United Nations and the World Bank—guardians of key treaties like the Indus Waters Treaty—may be compelled to intervene if tensions continue to spiral.
