Two officials at the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi, the name of Islamabad’s diplomatic mission in India, have been detained in the capital over espionage-related activities, local media reported. Reports say that Abid Hussain and Tahir Khan, who work in the visa section, were allegedly engaged in anti-India activity. Both men had fake Indian passports.
India Detains Two Pakistani officials of High Commission, Delhi on Espionage charges.
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) May 31, 2020
India has declared both these officials persona non grata for indulging in activities incompatible with their status as members of a diplomatic mission pic.twitter.com/eYWey4LSpz
Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires was asked to ensure that no member of the country's diplomatic mission indulge in activities inimical to India or behave in a manner incompatible with their diplomatic status.
The officials in question were asked to leave India within 24 hours. This is the first time that Pakistani officials have been declared personae non grata since 2016, when Indian authorities detained another employee of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi, Mehmood Akhtar, while receiving sensitive documents. According to local media, during his interrogation, Akhtar revealed that he worked for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s main spy agency, and that he was posted to Islamabad’s diplomatic mission in 2013.
