Delhi-Islamabad tit-for-tat returns as India acts outside Pakistan mission
Authorities in New Delhi have removed unauthorised structures and encroachments outside the Pakistan High Commission, in what is being seen as a reciprocal move following the dismantling of parking poles outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The structures cleared in New Delhi were located near the visa section of the Pakistani mission and stood outside its designated perimeter. The action was carried out by the concerned agencies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move comes days after Pakistani authorities removed parking poles installed outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. In the past, similar tit-for-tat measures have featured prominently during periods of strained India-Pakistan relations, including reciprocal staff reductions, tighter access controls and administrative restrictions.
The latest action comes against the backdrop of deeply strained bilateral ties, with India continuing to accuse Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism. Relations between the two countries remain at one of their lowest points in decades, more than a year after a four-day military confrontation that followed the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam.
In April 2025, terrorists trained and backed by Pakistan killed 26 people in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. India subsequently launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The military confrontation, the most serious escalation between the two countries since the 1999 Kargil conflict, ended after Pakistan reached out for a ceasefire.
Since then, formal diplomatic engagement between the two countries has remained largely frozen. Bilateral trade remains suspended, the main land border crossing is closed and visa arrangements have been sharply restricted. The Indian and Pakistani high commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad are also functioning with reduced staff.
India has also placed the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, in abeyance. New Delhi has said the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for cross-border terrorism. The Indian government has maintained that normal and neighbourly relations with Pakistan can resume only in an environment free from violence and terrorism.
Despite the diplomatic freeze, some military-to-military communication channels remain operational. Weekly telephone conversations between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries continue, while the ceasefire along the Line of Control has largely held, with only limited reported violations.
