Protesting “espionage” and “terrorism-related” activities by authorities of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi along with the “ill treatment” of Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad, the federal government has actually decided to reduce the personnel strength at both missions by half.
The federal government’s decision, which will bring down Indian personnel strength in Pakistan to 55, follows the return of 2 Indian staffers from Pakistan on Monday, who had gone through abuse by Pakistan security agencies earlier this month, the MEA stated.
On Tuesday, MEA’s joint secretary Deepak Mittal summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires Syed Haidar Shah to inform him of the choice, providing Pakistan 7 days to complete the procedure. The last time this kind of decrease of diplomats was carried out was in 2001, after the Parliament attack.
” The behaviour of Pakistan and its officials is not in conformity with the Vienna Convention and bilateral contracts on the treatment of diplomatic and consular officials. On the contrary, it is an intrinsic aspect of a bigger policy of supporting cross-border violence an