Pakistan High Commission staffer expelled for espionage, linked to case on leak of Army movements

“Pakistan totally rejects this assertion,” the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that the norm would be the U.N. Charter. File

Amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared an official of the Pakistan High Commission “persona non grata” (PNG), expelling him for espionage. The decision concerning the official, who was not named by either side, was conveyed to Pakistan Charge d’Affaires Saad Warraich, who was issued a demarche, asking the staffer to leave India within 24 hours. 

“The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India,” the MEA statement said, without providing any details of what the staffer is believed to have done. 

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Sources told The Hindu that the expelled High Commission staffer was linked to two people arrested in Punjab for “espionage activities” by Punjab Police on the weekend for “leaking sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements” to Pakistan. The case is significant given the massive troop movements and cross-border military actions since May 7, including of the Indian Army and Air Force, as well as the build-up of troops along the border.

In a statement on Sunday (May 11, 2025), the police in Malerkotla said that the two accused had been giving the information to a “Pakistan-based handler” and receiving payments through online transactions in exchange. The police said the network of other local operatives connected to them was also being identified, and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in the case.

“This operation marks a significant step in dismantling cross-border espionage networks and reinforces our commitment to national security. Further investigation will be undertaken as per established protocol, with a focus on tracing the financial trail and identifying additional operatives and linkages within the network,” the Punjab Police said in its statement.

Pakistan did not respond to the announcement, nor was it clear whether it would retaliate or try to mirror the action. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India expelled defence attaches from the Pakistan High Commission and reduced the permitted staff strength from 55 to 30, and Pakistan had done the same, sending back diplomats from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and scaling down the mission.

Despite the ceasefire understanding in place since Saturday (May 10, 2025), ties between Delhi and Islamabad remained acrimonious. On Tuesday (May 13, 2025), the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a sharp statement responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to the nation on Monday (May 12, 2025) night, in which Mr. Modi extolled Operation Sindoor as a major success, and said that India had set a “new normal” for Pakistan’s behaviour, where any cross-border terror attack would be treated as an act of war and Pakistan would face retaliation for it from India.

“Pakistan totally rejects this assertion,” the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that the norm would be the U.N. Charter, and said Pakistan would “closely monitor India’s actions and behaviour in this regard”, calling on the international community to do the same. 

Reacting to the statement, the MEA said that Pakistan had “nurtured terrorism on an industrial scale”, and could not “escape the consequences” of its actions. “There is now a new normal. The sooner Pakistan gets used to it, the better,” the Ministry’s spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question.