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Delhi removes barricades outside Pakistan High Commission
NDTV··20 Aug
On 20 August 2026, Indian agencies used a JCB to remove unauthorised structures and queue barriers outside the Pakistan High Commission in Chanakyapuri. Officials said the installations sat on a public lane beyond the mission's approved boundary. Traffic bollards and an outer security perimeter were also dismantled. Pakistan had removed barricades outside the Indian mission in Islamabad three days earlier.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you were in a visa queue at the Pakistan High Commission, the outer queue-management barriers on the public lane were among the structures removed on 20 August.
- Anyone driving in Chanakyapuri can note traffic bollards and barricades that had ring-fenced the compound were taken down, leaving rubble on the paved area.
- If you follow the Islamabad file, Pakistani authorities had removed security barricades and parking poles outside the Indian High Commission three days earlier.
What's Happening
- Official sources told PTI the structures were beyond the approved boundary of the diplomatic compound.
- ANI footage showed the external perimeter being dismantled; India Today said plaster around some service windows was broken away.
- The mission building itself was not demolished; concertina wire was still visible along parts of the remaining perimeter in some reports.
Why The Lane Outside A Mission Is Treated As Public
- Foreign missions in Chanakyapuri operate under host-country arrangements; diplomatic immunity attaches to the recognised premises, not automatically to adjoining public roads.
- Reports described the Delhi action as tit-for-tat after Islamabad's move, while also noting that no Indian government statement had confirmed that link.
- The visa facade labels cited in photographs included Window 1, Pakistani Passport Only, and Window-5 for collection of visa applications.
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