Web desk: Pakistani diplomats posted in New Delhi are reportedly facing growing harassment, with at least four officials served eviction notices for their privately rented homes before their lease terms had ended, according to The News.
Diplomatic sources say these orders were issued directly by landlords, while other pressures have been mounting.
Gas and internet services to the homes of some Pakistani staff have been cut intermittently, they claim. And water supply to the Pakistani High Commission has also been stopped.
For the past six weeks, Indian newspapers have not been delivered to the mission either.
The same sources say that India’s Ministry of External Affairs has yet to act on visa extension requests for 17 Pakistani officials. Including diplomats who were lodged three to five months ago.
These developments come at a time of already strained relations between Islamabad and New Delhi.
Tensions escalated sharply in May when India carried out cross-border strikes into Pakistan. Saying they were aimed at those behind the Pahalgam false flag in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Pakistan responded with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, shooting down six Indian Air Force fighter jets. Including three Rafales, in what it described as retaliation for “unprovoked aggression.”
The 87-hour confrontation saw both sides conduct strikes across the border. Pakistan says the fighting resulted in the loss of 40 civilians and 13 members of its armed forces.
Following the clash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced it would place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in abeyance.
However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has since ruled that India must “let flow” the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s unrestricted use.
Officials at the Pakistani High Commission have reported the alleged harassment to Islamabad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Which is expected to raise the matter formally with New Delhi.
In May, India expelled two Pakistani officials, accusing them of activities “not in keeping with their status.” Pakistan responded within a day by removing a staff member from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
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