India has declared a Pakistani citizen, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as ‘persona non grata’ for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
The said person was working as a staff at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and has been asked to leave India within 24 hours.
An official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs stated, “The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours. Charge d’ Affaires, Pakistan High Commission, was issued a demarche to this effect today.”
In a social media post on X, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal informed about the same.
Earlier in April, India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and handed over the formal Persona Non Grata note for its military diplomats.
India’s action came after 26 people were killed and several others sustained injuries in the dastardly attack by terrorists on tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said that after these measures, the total number will bring the overall strength of the High Commissions down to 30 from the present 55.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to strike multiple terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in retaliation for a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 in which 26 tourists were killed.
In addition to eliminating over 100 terrorists, the strikes targeted 11 Air bases inside Pakistan and inflicted significant damage on their military capabilities. The air, land and sea operations were carried out with calibrated restraint, with an emphasis on minimising civilian casualties. (ANI)
