Indian authorities on Thursday dismantled the external security perimeter outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, using a JCB to remove traffic bollards, barricades and queue-management structures near the mission’s visa section. Officials said the structures had been erected beyond the compound’s approved boundary. The main building was untouched.
The move came three days after Pakistani authorities removed parking poles and security barricades outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Ties between the two countries have been frozen since April 2025, when a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killed 26 people. India responded with Operation Sindoor, striking targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering a four-day military conflict that ended in a ceasefire. Trade, the main land border crossing, and full diplomatic staffing remain suspended. The Indus Waters Treaty stays in abeyance.
The barricade removal followed a separate row a day earlier: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor called Jammu and Kashmir “an important part of India” during a visit to Srinagar, prompting Pakistan to summon the US Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad in protest.
Pattern of reciprocal moves
- 2003: India expelled Pakistan’s acting High Commissioner and four officials; Pakistan expelled India’s in return.
- 2016: India detained Pakistan High Commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar on espionage charges; Pakistan declared an Indian official persona non grata hours later.
- 2019: After the Pulwama attack, India withdrew Pakistan’s MFN trade status; Pakistan recalled its High Commissioner from Delhi.
- 2020: India halved Pakistan’s High Commission staff over alleged espionage; Pakistan matched the cut.
- 2026: Pakistan removed barricades at India’s Islamabad mission; India matched it in Delhi three days later.
Neither government has signalled any change to the broader freeze in relations.
