NEW DELHI: In a joint operation conducted by the military intelligence and Delhi Police‘s special cell, three staff members from the Pakistan high commission were apprehended red-handed while trying to exchange stolen classified documents, in a development that might further strain the already tense ties with the hostile neighbour.
The men — Abid Hussain, Tahir Khan and Javed Hussain — have been found to be directly linked to the ISI. The two men were declared persona non grata by the foreign ministry and were asked to leave the country by Monday morning. The last time a Pakistani diplomatic staffer was expelled was in 2016.
“The government has declared both these officials persona non grata for indulging in activities incompatible with their status as members of a diplomatic mission and asked them to leave the country within 24 hours,” the MEA said in a statement.
India also registered a strong protest with Pakistan’s charge de affaires with regard to the activities of these officials against India’s national security. He was asked to ensure that no member of its diplomatic mission should indulge in activities inimical to India or behave in a manner incompatible with their diplomatic status.
An FIR under sectio