Indian claims that Pakistan has denied visa to Indian diplomat Jayant Khobragade, rejecting his appointment as India’s chargé d’affaires in Islamabad. Khobragade’s name had been officially proposed in June this year. In the same month, India had also further scaled down diplomatic ties with Pakistan by asking for a 50 percent reduction in mission strength.
The government sees Pakistan’s rejection of Khobragade as an attempt to get back at India for its decision to downgrade ties and also as a sign of frustration over the fact that Islamabad’s information war on the issue of Kashmir has failed to gain much traction internationally.
Pakistan’s objection is apparently related to Khobragade’s seniority as it thinks he’s too senior to lead the Indian mission when its strength has been halved and at a time when there’s barely any bilateral engagement between the 2 countries.
India believes though it’s not for Pakistan to dictate appointment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad and is likely to respond with reciprocal action in due course. It is rare for either country to reject the appointment of a diplomat at this level.
An IFS officer of 1995 batch, Khobragade is currently serving as a joint secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy. He has in the past served as Indian ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic before working in junior capacity with Indian missions in
Russia, Spain and Kazakhstan. Khobragade has served in Pakistan too earlier but it’s unlikely that the rejection of his visa has anything to do with his earlier stint in Islamabad. Since the 2 countries recalled their high commissioners last year, their missions have been led by the chargé d’affaires.
