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India expels Pakistani diplomats
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's foreign ministry has ordered four Pakistani High Commission staff members to leave the country, accusing them of undiplomatic behavior. The ministry accused the diplomats Wednesday of "indulging in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status" and told the acting Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi that he had 48 hours to send them back to Islamabad. At least two of the four are senior staff. For several days, India has accused the Pakistanis of harassing its high commissioner in Islamabad by following and stopping his car, and trying to intimidate him. Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said Pakistani diplomats also have been harassed by intelligence officials in New Delhi, including being followed into shops and chased in cars. "We're always for peace," he said. "The Foreign Office is studying this." Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said the diplomatic ouster is part of a pattern of action against Pakistan by India. Ever since the deadly December 2001 attack on the Indian parliament, embassies in Islamabad and Delhi have been working with about half the usual number of staff. India blamed Pakistani militants backed by Pakistan's government, which denied the accusation. The parliament attack led to a military standoff by both nuclear-armed nations at their borders. Border 'unaffected'India and Pakistan have raised their adversarial rhetoric and conducted more missile tests in recent weeks, indicating neither is in the mood for improved relations. Diplomacy experts in India insisted Wednesday's expulsions would not worsen tensions along the border, reported The Associated Press. "This would have no bearing on the reality of the situation on the ground," said G. Parthasarathy, a former Indian ambassador in Pakistan. Parthasarathy said Pakistan is harassing Indian diplomats in an attempt to turn international attention away from its alleged nuclear ties with North Korea and its failure so far to wipe out the al-Qaida terrorist network. -- Islamabad Bureau Chief Ash-har Quraishi and Producer Suhasini Haidar contributed to this report.
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