India and Pakistan Engage in Tit-For-Tat Demolition of Structures Outside High Commissions

India and Pakistan have demolished some temporary structures outside their respective High Commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad over the past three days, sources said Thursday. According to sources in Delhi, the Pakistan authorities on Monday removed and demolished some of the barricades and structures to manage the queue outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These structures, including parking poles, were primarily intended to manage queues for visitors and visa applicants, as well as their parking. The Indian side had requested that the Pakistan side not do so, since these were essential for managing the crowd and visitors to the High Commission. But the Pakistani authorities did not heed the request and carried out the demolition and removal of those structures. VIDEO | Delhi: Authorities dismantle the external security perimeter outside the Pakistan High Commission. Visuals from outside the Pakistan High Commission at Shantipath. (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p ) pic.twitter.com/rys6CX5b5j — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2026 On Wednesday, the Indian side carried out a similar activity outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. A section of structures outside the Pakistan High Commission was demolished. The action was carried out by the agencies concerned using a JCB machine, which removed the structures and barricades erected along the lane outside the compound, including queue-management installations near the visa section, the sources said. Visuals showed that the demolition left a trail of rubble outside the mission, with broken metal railings and gates, twisted metal frames, roofing sheets, bricks and chunks of concrete and plaster strewn across the paved area. The visa section remained visible amid the debris, with service windows marked “Window 1”, “Pakistani Passport Only” and “Window-5 / Collection of Visa Applications”. Broken fencing and construction material were also seen lying around the counters. This tit-for-tat action comes at a time when the ties between India and Pakistan are at a low point, after the military confrontation under Operation Sindoor took place in May last year, following the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year. The High Commissions of the two countries have been functioning in each other’s countries at the level of the Chargé d’affaires for the last seven years. The diplomatic strength has been vastly reduced, and visa services have been almost closed, except for some pilgrims to each other’s side.