New Delhi, Aug 20: Indian authorities have removed structures and queue-management barriers located outside the Pakistan High Commission in the national capital, days after Pakistani authorities took similar action outside India’s diplomatic mission in Islamabad.
The structures were dismantled late Wednesday night, with a bulldozer used to clear installations that had extended onto the lane outside the Pakistan High Commission’s designated premises.Officials said the structures removed from the area included metal frames, fencing, roofing sheets, masonry and barriers used for managing queues near the mission’s visa section. The visa facility itself was not affected.
According to official sources, the installations were situated beyond the approved boundary of the Pakistani diplomatic compound.The move came three days after Pakistani authorities removed security bollards and parking poles outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Pakistan had reportedly attributed that action to road expansion work.Officials said similar structures outside the two diplomatic missions had existed for some time despite being beyond their formally notified boundaries.
They had reportedly been tolerated as part of reciprocal arrangements between the two countries.The latest developments have raised concerns over the state of diplomatic trust between India and Pakistan, whose bilateral relations have remained strained.
The two countries have witnessed similar episodes of diplomatic friction in the past. In 2018, both sides exchanged allegations involving surveillance, obstruction of vehicles and harassment of diplomatic personnel and their families.Relations deteriorated further following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack and the military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025.
India subsequently placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and introduced measures affecting visas and diplomatic representation.
The removal of installations outside the two missions comes against this backdrop of strained bilateral ties and could further underline the difficulties facing diplomatic engagement between the neighbouring countries.
