Structures outside Pakistan High Commission demolished after Islamabad action

Authorities on Thursday demolished structures and barricades outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, days after similar installations were removed from outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad in an apparent tit-for-tat move.

Official sources said the structures in New Delhi had extended beyond the mission’s approved boundary. Agencies involved in the operation used a JCB machine to remove barricades, roofing and queue-management installations along the lane outside the compound, including those near the visa section.

Article 22 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations makes recognised mission premises inviolable, barring host-country authorities from entering without the head of mission’s consent. The premises, property, archives and official vehicles are protected against search, requisition, attachment, seizure or other enforcement action.

The host country is required to protect the premises against intrusion or damage and prevent disruption to the mission’s functioning.
These safeguards apply only within the recognised boundaries of a diplomatic mission.

Structures built beyond an approved diplomatic boundary, such as those demolished outside the Pakistan High Commission, may remain subject to local laws and civic regulations. However, any enforcement action close to a diplomatic mission involves respecting the inviolability of its recognised premises.

Visuals from the New Delhi site showed extensive debris outside the mission, including broken railings and gates, twisted metal frames, corrugated roofing sheets, bricks and pieces of concrete and plaster. Sections of white metal fencing and other outer installations had also been pulled down.

Damage was visible around the visa service counters, where windows marked “Pakistani Passport Only” and “Collection of Visa Applications” could still be seen amid broken fencing and construction material.

The main entrance to the Pakistan High Commission remained intact. Its white facade, domed features and large gates carrying Pakistan’s emblem were unaffected, while barbed-wire fencing remained in place along parts of the compound’s perimeter.

The demolition came shortly after Pakistan removed security barricades and parking poles installed outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, adding a diplomatic dimension to what authorities in New Delhi described as action against structures extending beyond the approved boundary.

With PTI inputs