Pakistan expels Indian diplomatic staffer in tit-for-tat move

Pakistan on Thursday expelled a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, declaring him persona non grata for allegedly engaging in activities inconsistent with his diplomatic status, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Indian chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive a formal demarche, with Pakistan conveying its decision and reiterating that diplomatic staff must not misuse their privileges and immunities.

The unnamed Indian official has been ordered to leave the country within 24 hours.

"The concerned official was found involved in activities that contravene his privileged status as a member of a diplomatic mission," a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry read. It did not provide further details about the nature of the alleged misconduct.

The expulsion follows a recent diplomatic row between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

On May 13, Pakistan similarly declared another Indian High Commission staffer persona non grata over what it described as "activities incompatible with his diplomatic role."

That move came just hours after India expelled a Pakistani official from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on comparable allegations.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have simmered since cross-border military strikes at the start of May. Both countries agreed to a ceasefire, brokered with the help of the United States.

Despite the recent ceasefire, diplomatic tit-for-tat measures underline the fragile nature of the calm.