OpIndia: Summoned at dusk, expelled by dawn’: India’s last High Commissioner to Pakistan recalls Islamabad’s meltdown after the abrogation of Article 370
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has recalled how he was asked to leave Pakistan within 72 hours in August 2019, days after India revoked Article 370, a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Bisaria wrote about the episode in an article titled “I was given 72 hours to leave Pakistan: A High Commissioner’s story,” published in India’s World magazine on Sunday, 11th January.
Bisaria describes the suddenness of his exit and the intense diplomatic pressure that followed India’s decision on Jammu and Kashmir.
The abrogation of Article 370, which removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, triggered a strong reaction from Islamabad. Pakistan viewed the move as illegal and began mobilising diplomatic channels to register its protest. Within days, the fallout directly affected India’s diplomatic presence in Pakistan.
A sudden and unexpected exit
Bisaria’s departure from Islamabad came without the usual formalities associated with diplomatic postings. There were no farewell meetings, official receptions or final interactions with colleagues. On the evening of his exit, he travelled to Islamabad International Airport under tight security and boarded a flight to Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, Pakistani and Indian television channels were closely tracking his movements. Media crews were stationed at the Wagah–Attari border, expecting Bisaria to cross into India by road. However, he chose to leave by air, avoiding the heavily publicised land route. The speculation surrounding his departure reflected the tense atmosphere prevailing between the two countries at the time.
The day of the demarche
The sequence of events leading to the ultimatum began on 5th August 2019, the day Parliament in New Delhi passed the resolution revoking Article 370. That evening, Bisaria was summoned to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
During the meeting, Pakistan’s then Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood read out a formal statement strongly condemning India’s decision. This statement said that India violated international law as well as United Nations Security Council resolutions in relation to the Kashmir region. However, Pakistan reiterated its assertion of supporting the self-determination rights of the Kashmiri people.
The tone of the conference was quite formal, and the statement read out in the course of the interaction would later become Pakistan’s official stance on the matter and was stated on various international platforms. Pakistani television channels carried news of the demarche almost instantly following the end of the conference.
Diplomatic pressure builds
Over the next two days, Pakistan’s response hardened further. In the next two days, the Pakistani response hardened. This was reflected in the special meeting of the Pakistani Parliament, where the leadership showed great anger against the Indian decision. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi personally told the media that the diplomatic relations between the Pakistani and Indian administrations had reached a critically bad stage.
Inside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, officials prepared for possible escalation. Bisaria instructed diplomats to remain on alert as multiple scenarios were considered, including a reduction in staff strength, suspension of diplomatic ties, or the closure of missions. There was uncertainty over how far Pakistan might go and how quickly decisions could be implemented.
Given 72 hours to leave
Soon after, the Pakistani government conveyed its decision. Ajay Bisaria was formally informed that he had 72 hours to leave the country. The order effectively made him the last Indian High Commissioner to serve in Pakistan before relations were downgraded.
The decision was seen as a calculated but symbolic step by Islamabad, short of severing ties completely, yet strong enough to signal its anger over Kashmir. Within two days of receiving the notice, Bisaria began his journey back to India.
End of a diplomatic chapter
Bisaria’s exit marked a low point in India–Pakistan relations following the Article 370 decision. He would indeed later refer to having felt some relief at leaving behind a hostile professional environment, but he was also to express regret at the abrupt close to his tenure and the lack of any sense of closure.
Ajay Bisaria was India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan from 2017 to 2020, and its last envoy before the diplomatic engagement between the two countries was drastically cut down. His account is part of his book Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan, providing an insider view of one of the most strained phases in recent history regarding bilateral ties.
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This Article was written by Shriti Sagar for Opindia.