New Delhi: India and Pakistan on Wednesday approved fresh visas for each other’s officials for their respective diplomatic missions, thereby defusing an ongoing simmering row on the matter, sources confirmed. This was after New Delhi was apparently miffed over Pakistan not issuing visas to Indian diplomats for fresh postings, according to reports.
It may be recalled that a year ago, in retaliation to the illegal custody and “barbaric treatment” then of two Indian High Commission staffers in Islamabad by Pakistani security agencies after being “abducted at gunpoint”, India had in June last year asked Pakistan to reduce its staff at its High Commission in New Delhi by half. India too then reduced its own staff in Islamabad by the same 50 percent proportion.
It may also be recalled that In August, 2019, Pakistan had "downgraded diplomatic relations with India", with Islamabad asking New Delhi to "withdraw" the then Indian High
Commissioner Ajay Bisaria. This was after India had decided to bifurcate the then Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state into two union territories--J&K and Ladakh besides revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that effectively ended the special status for J&K.
However, in February this year, the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a “strict observance” of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).
