India expels another Pak mission staffer for espionage, told to leave in 24 hrs
The chargé d’affaires of the Pakistan high commission, Saad Warraich, was issued a demarche on this matter, the ministry said.
India on Tuesday expelled a staffer of the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi for his alleged involvement in espionage, marking the second such expulsion in a little more than a week amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
The staffer was declared “persona non grata” on being found involved in spying, the people said on condition of anonymity. Another staffer of the Pakistani mission was expelled on similar grounds on May 13.
“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 external affairs ministry said in a statement without giving details of the charges against the staffer.
“The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours,” the statement said.
The chargé d’affaires of the Pakistan high commission, Saad Warraich, was issued a demarche on this matter, the ministry said. Warraich was “asked to strictly ensure that none of the Pakistani diplomats or officials in India misuse their privileges and status in any manner”, the statement said.
At least 12 people from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been arrested over the past fortnight on charges of involvement with a Pakistan-linked espionage ring.
The Punjab Police announced on May 11 that they had arrested two persons for alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani national posted at the high commission in New Delhi.
Acting on credible intelligence, the Punjab Police initially arrested a man for providing “sensitive information” on the Indian Army’s movements to a Pakistan-based handler, said director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Based on disclosures made by this man, a second person was identified and taken into custody, Yadav said.
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 civilians, India announced a slew of punitive diplomatic and economic measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of the three defence attaches posted at the Pakistan high commission and the whittling down of the total number of diplomatic staff posted in each other’s capitals from 55 to 30.
Tensions between the two countries spiked after India targeted terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan on May 7 under Operation Sindoor. After four days of intense armed clashes, the two sides reached an understanding on stopping firing and military action on May 10.
