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Pak expels Indian envoy, India retaliates

      Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday expelled senior Indian diplomat Deepak Kaul on charges of spying. Tasneem Aslam, the spokesperson of Pakistan's Foreign Office, said: "Deepak Kaul was caught red-handed while indulging in activities not commensurate with his supposed rank and profile." She said that Pakistan has declared Deepak Kaul, a visa counsellor in the Indian High Commission, persona non-grata, and has asked him to leave the country within 48 hours.

    In New Delhi, Reacting to the expulsion of Deepak Kaul, the visa counsellor of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the External Affairs Ministry on Saturday evening summoned Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan and conveyed the decision to expel Pakistani Counsellor Syed Muhammad Rafique Ahmed. Joint Secretary Dilip Sinha told Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner that Ahmed was involved in activities incompatible with his diplomatic status and declared him persona non grata. During his meeting, Sinha lodged a strong protest against the outrageous treatment meted out to Deepak Kaul, who had been "hooded and handcuffed to some unidentified locations where he had been interrogated intermittently for close to about five hours". Sinha also said that the actions of the government of Pakistan were in blatant violation of the Vienna Convention and that such action would undermine the bilateral relations between the two countries. Deepak Kaul is expected to reach India by August 7 and the Ministry is arranging for his return.

India-Pakistan diplomatic expulsions since 1998

      New Delhi: The last two-and-a-half years has seen political and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India seesawing like a pendulum. With Pakistan announcing a 48-hour expulsion notice to Indian diplomat Deepak Kaul, and India reciprocating in kind by expelling Syed Mohammad Rafique Ahmed, it would be interesting to recall how many diplomatic expulsions both countries have carried out since 1998. According to sources, India and Pakistan have expelled 22 and 19 diplomats respectively during the last eight years. In September, 1998, Pakistan and India expelled each others' diplomats on espionage charges On June 28, 1999: One Staff member of Pakistan High Commission was expelled by India In 1999, New Delhi and Islamabad expelled two officials each on charges of performing duties incompatible with their diplomatic status.

    In February 2000, both countries expelled three diplomats each In December 2001-January 2002, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, was recalled, while India recalled its High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar in the wake of the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. In 2002, Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires Jalil Abbas Jilani and four staff members of the High Commission were accused of funding separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, plunging bilateral ties to a new low. Jilani and the staffers -- Habib-ur Rahman, Aftab Ahmed, Abdul Razzak and Mohammad Nazir -- were asked to leave the country within 48 hours. Their families were given a week's time to leave India. Pakistan responded by ordering the expulsion of India's CDA Sudhir Vyas and two staffers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. On January 23, 2003, India expelled four diplomats, while Pakistan expelled three Indian diplomats and a staffer. On February 8, 2003: India and Pakistan expelled five diplomats and staffers each. On August 5, 2006: India and Pakistan expel one diplomat each.

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