Pakistan declares Indian official 'persona non grata' for 'inconsistent activities'

• Indian Chargé d'Affaires summoned to Foreign Office.
• Pakistan warns against misuse of diplomatic privileges.
• Staff member accused of violating diplomatic norms.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad as persona non grata, citing engagement in activities that violated diplomatic norms and were inconsistent with his privileged status.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Indian official has been ordered to leave the country within 24 hours.

The Indian Chargé d'Affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office on Wednesday to be formally informed of the decision. During the meeting, Pakistani officials stressed that all diplomats and staff at the Indian High Commission must strictly adhere to their diplomatic roles and refrain from any misuse of their privileges.

The move came hours after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs declared an official of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as "persona non grata", ordering the diplomat to leave the country within 24 hours.

Following an attack that killed 26 men at a tourist destination in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir's (IIOJK) Pahalgam area, tensions escalated between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Just a day after the attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, closed the main land border crossing with Pakistan, declared military, naval and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.

In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side.

Then, on the night of May 6-7, India launched an unprovoked attack, targeting mosques, and residential areas, and as a result, also martyred more than 50 Pakistanis.

Pakistan's armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action after India's persistent attacks on May 10, named "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos", and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.

After at least 87 hours, the war, provoked by India, ended on the same day with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.