Pakistan said on Sunday that the diplomat nominated by India as the next acting head of the Indian mission in Islamabad is too senior for the job, even as he sought to link bilateral relations with the resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Jayant Khobragade’s name was proposed to the Pakistani side in June, days before New Delhi asked Islamabad to reduce the strength of its high commission by 50%. The move had prompted a reciprocal decision on the Pakistani side.
People familiar with the events had said, on condition of anonymity, that the Pakistani side felt the diplomat was too tall to function as a chargé d’affaires.
One of the people said that Khobragade’s current assignment (he has been serving in the Department of Atomic Energy delegation since 2017) could have been a factor in Pakistan’s decision.
The Indian and Pakistani high commissions in the two national capitals have been headed by deputy heads of mission since August 2019, when Pakistan called on India to remove then-High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria as part of a series of retaliatory actions in response. to India’s decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.
Pakistan also chose at the time not to go ahead with the fate of the diplomat who had been chosen as its next envoy to India.
A statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “Pakistan believes that by proposing a high-ranking diplomat, who has already served as ambassador in another post, India is trying to circumvent the effect of the degradation of diplomatic relations, which is obviously not in line with the decision. ”
Khobragade, who served as a counselor in the Indian mission in Islamabad a few years ago, has also had assignments in Russia, Kazakhstan and Spain, and was ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic during 2013-17.
“However, taking into account diplomatic norms, Pakistan has advised India to appoint an officer with seniority commensurate with Pakistan’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations,” the statement added.
The Pakistani spokesman referred to “veiled threats” in sections of the Indian media that the visa issue would “further destabilize” bilateral relations and said that “it must be made clear that relations between India and Pakistan are inextricably linked. to the resolution of Jammu “. and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant Resolutions of the UN Security Council ”.
A durable solution to the Kashmir issue is also critical to peace and stability in South Asia, the spokesman said, adding that India “is once again reminded of its international obligations regarding the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. “.
There was no immediate reaction from Indian officials to the Pakistani spokesperson’s comments.
There are virtually no diplomatic engagements between the two sides as of now and neither have they held formal and structured talks since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Pakistan has repeatedly tried to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, with the backing of its close ally China, and other international bodies, but these moves have not had much of an impact on the world community.
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