The Ministry of External Affairs said India’s removal of temporary structures outside Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi was a “proportionate action” after Islamabad removed structures outside India’s diplomatic mission.
MEA Explains Delhi Action
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday described India’s removal of temporary structures outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as a “proportionate action” in response to a similar move by Pakistani authorities in Islamabad.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan had removed structures outside the Indian High Commission despite New Delhi requesting Islamabad not to proceed.
He said India subsequently removed temporary structures located in the lane outside the Pakistani diplomatic mission in the national capital.
Structures Removed In Delhi
The action in New Delhi took place on Thursday and involved structures positioned outside the designated perimeter of the Pakistan High Commission.
Government sources said the operation included removal of a queue liner installed in the lane outside the diplomatic mission. Other reports described the structures as queue-management barriers and related installations near the visa section.
The main diplomatic compound was not affected by the action.
Islamabad Took Earlier Action
The Indian move followed action by Pakistani authorities outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
According to the MEA, some structures in front of the Indian mission had been installed to facilitate parking. Pakistan removed them despite India's request that they remain in place.
The removal of those structures became the immediate trigger for India's reciprocal action in New Delhi.
Jaiswal Calls It Proportionate
Explaining the government's position, Jaiswal said India had initially asked Pakistan not to remove the structures outside the Indian High Commission.
After Islamabad proceeded with the removal, New Delhi responded by removing temporary structures outside the Pakistan High Commission.
The MEA spokesperson characterised the Indian move as proportionate rather than as a broader escalation of diplomatic relations.
India-Pakistan Ties Remain Strained
The reciprocal actions come against an already difficult backdrop in India-Pakistan relations.
Bilateral ties have remained tense since the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. The two countries have since taken several diplomatic and security-related measures against each other.
The latest dispute involves physical structures outside diplomatic missions rather than a change in the formal status of either High Commission.
Tit-For-Tat Diplomacy Returns
The developments illustrate the increasingly reciprocal nature of India-Pakistan diplomatic actions.
Pakistan's removal of security and parking-related structures outside India's mission was followed days later by India's removal of structures outside Pakistan's mission in Delhi.
Such measures allow both governments to signal displeasure while stopping short of taking steps that would fundamentally alter diplomatic relations.
The timing, however, highlights the sensitivity surrounding the two countries' diplomatic missions.
What Happens Next
For now, the MEA has framed India's action as a limited and proportionate response to Islamabad's earlier decision.
The immediate dispute is centred on structures outside the two diplomatic compounds, but the episode reflects the broader fragility of India-Pakistan relations.
Any further reciprocal measures could add to diplomatic tensions. For the moment, New Delhi's position is that its action was a direct response to Pakistan's decision and should be viewed within that context.
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