Indian envoy to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returns to Delhi

Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returned here earlier today, days after Islamabad asked New Delhi to call him back following the scrapping of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India was taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan last week, a statement by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said.

Following the meeting, New Delhi was also informed that Pakistan would not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India Moin-ul-Haq. He was expected to officially take charge on August 16.

Calling its steps in Jammu and Kashmir as an "entirely internal affair", India had on August 8 rejected Pakistan's unilateral move to downgrade diplomatic ties and asked Islamabad to review the decision so that normal channels for diplomatic communications were preserved.