Spy war chills Indo-Pakistani ties

Spy war chills Indo-Pakistani ties

NEW DELHI (AFP): The tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats by
India and Pakistan have plunged ties between the two countries to
a new low and dimmed hopes for a resumption of talks on a code of
conduct for diplomatic personnel, officials here said yesterday.

Pakistan ordered out a second Indian diplomat on Tuesday, just
hours after India announced the expulsion of a second Pakistani
embassy official.

Both sides traded charges that the expelled diplomats were
"conducting activities not compatible with their status" --
official jargon for espionage -- and lodged counter-protests.

Despite the expulsions, India on Tuesday revived an offer to
hold talks at joint secretary level on the implementation of a
code of conduct for diplomats of the two countries, officials
here said.