January 24, 2003	Friday	Ziqa’ad 20, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: A foreign ministry statement on Thursday declared persona non grata four diplomats and staffers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad for “involvement in activities incompatible with their status as members of the diplomatic mission” and ordered them to leave the country within 48 hours.

The official statement named the counsellor of the Indian mission, Vipin Handa, Second Secretary R.P. Singh, Attache Vakil Ramdas and staff member P.H. Sundaram.

Acting Indian High Commissioner Sudhir Vayas was summoned by the foreign ministry on Thursday and informed of Pakistan’s decision to revoke the diplomatic status of the four Indian officials.

The decision came within about 24 hours of India’s expulsion of four Pakistani officials on Wednesday. The foreign ministry allowed seven days to the families of the expelled Indians to pack off in accordance with the bilateral code of conduct agreed between the two countries in August 1992.

The statement said the Pakistan government had decided to apply the same staff ceiling of 51 personnel to the Indian mission here as had been done in New Delhi by the Indian government with regard to the Pakistan mission.

The announcement here apparently means that Islamabad will automatically order expulsion of Indian personnel in parity with the number of Pakistan mission personnel who might be expelled by New Delhi in the future.

The summary removal of diplomats in tit-for-tat moves between New Delhi and Islamabad maintains the high level of tension between India and Pakistan which began in December 2001 when the Indian government decided to withdraw its high commissioner from Islamabad and followed it up by snapping all lines of contact and communication, including air services and rail and road traffic, between the two countries.