Indian officials recently removed queue management barriers and unauthorized structures outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. This move is seen as a response after similar structures were taken down outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, sources revealed on Thursday.
On Wednesday, heavy machinery was used to demolish those structures, located near the visa section of the Pakistan mission. This action came just two days after Pakistani authorities removed some barricades and parking poles outside the Indian diplomatic mission in Islamabad. Despite an official protest from India, Pakistani officials claimed their action was part of a project to widen the road.
The demolition in New Delhi involved clearing away a shed-like structure, queue management barriers, and traffic bollards outside the Pakistan High Commission situated on Shantinath Road in Chanakyapuri. Reports indicate that Pakistani officials tried to halt these demolitions, asserting that no further actions would occur in Islamabad.
Images from the site showed debris, including twisted metal frames, tin sheets, and concrete pieces scattered outside the visa section of the mission.
This incident marks yet another chapter in the ongoing cycle of retaliatory measures between India and Pakistan, as diplomatic relations remain strained. Relations soured further after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, and tensions escalated following a terror attack in Pahalgam last year.
Both nations have significantly reduced staff in their missions, with India implementing various diplomatic and economic measures, such as halting the Indus Waters Treaty and closing major border crossings. In a recent operation targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, India engaged in a brief conflict that concluded with a consensus between military leaders from both sides.
India continues to assert that normalizing relations is impossible until Pakistan ceases its support for cross-border terrorism.
