As part of a sweeping set of measures following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has announced the expulsion of all military, naval, and air advisors posted at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. These officials have been declared Persona Non Grata and are required to leave India within a week.
In a reciprocal move, India will also withdraw its own defence, naval, and air attachés from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Both countries will annul these military postings, and five support staff from each side will also be withdrawn, further reducing the scope of diplomatic engagement.
The CCS emphasized that this step was in response to cross-border linkages identified in the Pahalgam terror strike, which claimed 26 lives, and reflects India’s firm stance on national security and its intolerance for state-sponsored terrorism.
This development marks one of the most direct reductions in military-to-military diplomatic presence between the two nations in recent years, indicating heightened tensions and a recalibration of India’s engagement strategy with Pakistan.
Up next: India to downsize diplomatic missions with Pakistan by May 1.
