India and Pakistan each expelled one of the other’s diplomats on Tuesday, accusing the officials of engaging in activities that violated their diplomatic status. The moves mark a fresh downturn in already strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad as persona non grata and ordered the individual to leave the country within 24 hours. The Indian chargé d’affaires in Islamabad was summoned and issued a formal démarche, warning that Indian diplomatic staff must avoid conduct incompatible with their duties.
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Shortly before Pakistan’s announcement, India said it had expelled a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in New Delhi. The Indian Foreign Ministry said the diplomat was “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India,” a phrase often used in cases involving alleged espionage.
The reciprocal expulsions are the latest in a long history of diplomatic disputes between India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars and remain at odds over the Kashmir region. Similar tit-for-tat expulsions have occurred in the past, typically following espionage allegations or heightened border tensions.
While neither government provided detailed evidence of the alleged misconduct, such actions often reflect deeper mistrust and signal a deterioration in behind-the-scenes communications.
Both countries maintain high commissions in each other’s capitals rather than embassies, as is standard practice among members of the Commonwealth.