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Pakistan expels Indian embassy official in tit-for-tat action

Xinhua, October 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Pakistan on Thursday ordered an Indian embassy official to leave the country by Oct 29, only hours after the Indian government's decision to expel a Pakistani embassy staffer in New Delhi.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that the Indian High Commissioner was summoned and conveyed the decision of the Pakistani government to declare Surjeet Singh, an official of the Indian High Commission, as persona non grata.

The ministry said in a statement that the Foreign Secretary,who had summoned the Indian envoy, expressed deep concern over the activities of the Indian official that were in violation of the Vienna Convention and the established diplomatic norms.

"The Indian High Commission has been asked to make urgent necessary arrangements for Surjeet Singh and his family to leave Pakistan by October 29,2016." the statement said.

Earlier the day, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that a staff member of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was detained by the Indian authorities on Oct. 26 on "false and unsubstantiated charges."He was, however, released in about three hours on intervention by the High Commission.

Delhi police said earlier in reported comments that they took the Pakistani embassy official, Mehmood Akhtar, for questioning after he was found "working" for the Pakistani spy agency and "obtaining secret Indian defense related information" for the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

Pakistan later rejected the Indian allegations and deplored the Indian action which is "indeed a violation of the Vienna Convention as well as the norms of diplomatic conduct especially in an already vitiated atmosphere."

Diplomatic tensions increased at a time when troops of the two nuclear and uneasy neighbors are involved in firing exchanges that has caused casualties on both sides over the past few weeks. Endit