Tit-for-tat: Expulsions of Pakistani diplomatic staff over the years

Expelling officials have been part of a diplomatic tit-for-tat that has been repeated with regularity over the past 30 years

Following the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam on Tuesday, India has further downgraded already tenuous diplomatic ties with Pakistan. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday said India was declaring defence advisers in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi as persona non-grata and reducing the numbers of its own High Commission in Islamabad to 30 from the present 55. However, the latest move by South Block finds far too many precedents in swift deportations after terror attacks. Expelling officials have also been part of a diplomatic tit-for-tat that has been repeated with regularity over the past 30 years. A look at key expulsions over the years :

 

December 1988 : Pakistan's military attache Brigadier Zahirul Islam Abbasi arrested for espionage and declared persona non grata after Delhi Police caught him handing over Rs 25,000 for classified information.

 

May 1992 : Pakistani counselors Sayeed Fayyaz Mahmood Endrabi and Zafrul Hasan expelled for spying, following Pakistan's expulsion of an Indian diplomat

 

October 1997 : Pakistani diplomat Murad Baloch expelled by India after Indian diplomat SK Chaudhury expelled from Islamabad 

 

June & August 1999 : Officials Dil Fayyaz and Muhammad Safdar at the Pakistani High Commission expelled on espionage charges

 

February & August 2000 : Pakistani officials Mohammad Khalil, Rana Mohammad Saghir, and Mohammad Amin expelled amid allegations of misconduct. Malik Mohammed Rafiq expelled for alleged espionage.

 

December 2001: India recalled its ambassador to Pakistan in response to the attack on Parliament by militants from Pakistan-based groups and both countries cut the size of staff at their diplomatic missions. Two months before, a car bombing at the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly had claimed 38 lives

 

May 2002 : Pakistani High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi expelled following a militant attack on an army camp in Kashmir

 

January 2003 : Four Pakistani diplomats expelled after alleged harassment of Charge d'affaires Sudhir Vyas in Islamabad.

 

February 2003 : Acting Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani and four others expelled for allegedly channelling funds to leaders of Kashmiri separatists All Parties Hurriyat Conference

 

August 2006 : Counselor Syed Muhammad Rafique Ahmed expelled after Pakistan did the same to diplomat Deepak Kaul on charges of possessing “sensitive documents”.

 

October 2016 : Pak diplomat Mehmood Akhtar expelled after 3 men from Rajasthan were arrested for passing on border deployment information to him.

 

June 2020 : India expelled two Pakistani diplomatic staffers for espionage following which Indian diplomats Selvadhas Paul and Dwimu Brahm serving in Islamabad faced alleged torture, and returned home.