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May 18, 2002
1426 IST

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India asks Pakistan envoy to leave
within a week

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

India on Saturday gave a week's time to Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi to leave the country.

Joint Secretary (Pakistan) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Arun Singh, summoned Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Jaleel Abbas Jilani and communicated the decision, MEA spokesperson Nirupama Rao said.

She said that the government had taken the decision because "we had no delineation of Pakistan support to terrorism and cross border infiltration".

"The rate of infiltration has been high and there are reports of training camps in Pakistan and PoK [Pakistan-occupied Kashmir]," Rao said.

"This is a sovereign decision of the Government of India based on our considerable judgment and you may not link it with any other country, Rao shot back when asked if this was a result of the series of discussion India recently had with a number of US leaders.

When asked if Qazi had been declared persona non grata, she answered in the negative.

The decision to expel Qazi was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security, which met on Saturday to discuss India's options and likely response following Tuesday's attack near Jammu.

Briefing reporters after the meeting in New Delhi, External Affair Minister Jaswant Singh said this was being done "for the sake of parity".

India had recalled its high commissioner in Pakistan following the December 13 terrorist attack on Parliament.

The three service chiefs had briefed the CCS on the situation along the border, he said.

Singh also said that India was retaliating to the heavy shelling by Pakistani troops.

With Inputs from PTI

RELATED REPORTS
PM briefed by service chiefs
Heavy shelling by Pak troops in Uri sector in J&K
Heavy shelling by Pak troops in Jammu sector

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu

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