Discover how India's recent demolition of unauthorised structures outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi marks a significant tit-for-tat escalation in the already frosty diplomatic relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Key Points
- Indian authorities demolished unauthorised structures outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
- This action was a direct response to Pakistan removing parking poles outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
- The demolition involved a JCB machine, leaving rubble and damaged facade near the visa section.
- The main entrance of the Pakistan High Commission remained intact despite the surrounding damage.
- The incident underscores the severely strained diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.
In a tit-for-tat action, some unauthorised structures outside the Pakistan high commission in the national capital were demolished by authorities, a move that came after Pakistan removed parking poles outside the Indian mission in Islamabad this week.
The demolition was carried as the construction of the structures were found to be beyond the high commission's approved boundary, official sources said on Thursday.
The action was carried out by the agencies concerned using a JCB machine, which removed the structures and barricades erected along the lane outside the compound, including queue-management installations near the visa section, the sources said.
Demolition Details And Visual Impact
Visuals showed that the demolition left a trail of rubble outside the mission, with broken metal railings and gates, twisted metal frames, roofing sheets, bricks and chunks of concrete and plaster strewn across the paved area.
Additionally, visuals from the site showed sections of the outer structures completely pulled down, including corrugated roofing and white metal fencing.
The facade around the service windows appeared damaged, with portions of plaster and masonry broken away.
The visa section remained visible amid the debris, with service windows marked 'Window 1', 'Pakistani Passport Only' and 'Window-5/Collection of Visa Applications'.
Broken fencing and construction material were also seen lying around the counters.
The main entrance of the high commission, with its white walls, domed features and large metal gates bearing the Pakistani emblem, remained intact. Barbed-wire fencing was visible along portions of the compound's perimeter.
Escalating Tensions Between India And Pakistan
Pakistani authorities had removed security barricades and parking poles outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The action by Pakistani authorities and subsequent demolition of the unauthorised structures by Indian agencies came amid a deep freeze in the relations between the two countries.
The ties between the two sides hit rock bottom following India's Operation Sindoor in May last year targeting terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied territories.
