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India Declared Pakistan Diplomats ‘Persona Non Grata’ After Pahalgam Attack – What It Means

The term persona non grata, meaning “unwelcome person,” received diplomatic meaning under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations established in 1961.

(Image: Representative/istock)

In the aftermath of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, India downgraded its diplomatic relations with Pakistan, announcing a series of measures such as suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and shutting the Attari land transit. Officials of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were declared Persona Non Grata and were given one week to leave India.
“The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own Defence/Navy/Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on April 23, a day after the attack.

What does persona non grata mean?

A country can declare a foreign person ‘persona non grata’ under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. There is no requirement for an explanation. Persona non grata is a Latin phrase which means “unwelcome person.” In diplomacy, it simply refers to a diplomat or foreign person whose entry or presence in a certain country has been prohibited by that nation.
The designation received diplomatic meaning under the 1961 Vienna Convention, which lays the ground rules for how diplomats are to be treated. The treaty includes their rights and privileges in host countries. Under thus, Article 9 mentions that a country can declare any member of a diplomatic staff persona non grata “at any time and without having to explain its decision.”
If declared persona non grata, the person concerned returns to their home nation. In case they fail to do so within a reasonable period, the country “may refuse to recognise the person concerned as a member of the mission.” The article also says that a person can be declared persona non grata even before arriving in a country.
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