NEW DELHI: India has ordered another member of Pakistan’s diplomatic staff to leave the country, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
According to diplomatic sources, the expelled official, Rahim, was serving as a visa assistant at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. He has been declared persona non grata by the Indian government.
Since the recent Pahalgam false-flag operation, India has expelled a total of 23 Pakistani officials. Previously, 22 members of the Pakistani High Commission had already returned home.
It is worth recalling that on April 23, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting, during which several measures were announced to tighten diplomatic and border relations with Pakistan. In a statement, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced that Pakistani diplomats’ visas will be restricted.
India also ordered the Defence Attaché at the Pakistani High Commission to leave immediately and instructed that all diplomatic staff return within seven days.
Separately, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inflicted severe damage on the Indian Air Force (IAF), shooting down multiple fighter aircraft across various locations in a significant escalation during Bunyan-um-Marsoos, according to security sources.
According to details, the retaliatory strikes by the PAF reportedly caused extensive damage to IAF combat assets, with several Indian pilots either injured or missing in action. One Indian fighter jet reportedly crashed in the Anantnag region. The pilot is feared dead and the aircraft’s ejection seat was recovered from Gadool, Kokernag.
