India declares Pakistani official persona non grata, given 24 hrs to leave

The official in question, who has not been named, was expelled for activities 'not in keeping with his official status'

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday declared an official with Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata for engaging in activities “not in keeping with his official status in India.” 

The MEA said the official, who name or designation has not been released, has been instructed to leave India within 24 hours.

 

The ministry added that a demarche was issued to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission to this effect on Tuesday. 

 

The development comes amid recent tensions between both the nations following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. India responded to the attack with a counter-operation named 'Operation Sindoor', striking terror infrastructure at multiple locations in Pakistan, which responded with heavy artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), as well as drone and missile strikes aimed at both civilian and military structures in India, which were thwarted by air defence systems. In response to Pakistan's escalation, the Indian Air Force struck multiple air bases across the border, rendering some of them inoperable.

 

Both sides reached an understanding to stop firing on Sunday. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Operation Sindoor, as the Indian retaliation to Pakistan's attacks was called, is India's 'new normal' and that terror strikes will no longer be tolerated, and that India would see terror organisations and governments that support them as a single entity.