After Islamabad removes barricades outside Indian mission, New Delhi dismantles security perimeter at Pakistan High Commission
New Delhi: In a swift move, authorities have dismantled the external security perimeter outside the Pakistan High Commission, removing traffic bollards and barricades that previously ring-fenced the diplomatic compound.
India’s strong counter-action comes exactly three days after Pakistani authorities reportedly removed protective security barricades stationed outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The decisive move by local authorities in New Delhi unfolded amidst a diplomatic stand-off between the South Asian nations following the unprovoked attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Pahalgam last year that killed 26 people.
The Pakistani-backed Pahalgam terror attack was followed by a strong counteraction by India. Demonstrating strong military resolve, India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to strike terror infrastructure, with active military exchanges continuing until May 10, when a desperate Pakistan was forced to seek a ceasefire.
Exposing Pakistan’s shrinking international leverage in the region, United States Ambassador Sergio Gor, during a high-profile visit to Srinagar on Wednesday, explicitly acknowledged Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India”. Affirming the ground reality and highlighting massive security gains made by Indian authorities, the statement, coming from the first US envoy to visit the region in six years, triggered a defensive reaction from Pakistan, which quickly summoned the senior-most American diplomat in Islamabad to lodge its objections.
Rattled by the high-profile visit and the explicit recognition of India’s territorial integrity, Pakistan’s foreign ministry summoned US Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker in Islamabad to hand over a “strong demarche”. Attempting to push back against the unambiguous stance from the top US official, Islamabad issued a statement alleging Gor’s remarks were “factually incorrect”.
