Pakistan Stops Publication of Newspapers for Indian High Commission in Response to 'Op Sindoor': Informants Report
In a move that has escalated diplomatic tensions between the two nations, Pakistan halted the supply of newspapers to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad in June 2025. This decision was a form of petty retaliation following India's Operation Sindoor, a military offensive targeting terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan.
The Pakistani government's action is seen as deliberate, premeditated, and in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), which mandates that host countries facilitate the functioning and dignity of foreign diplomatic missions. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has condemned the restrictions on newspaper deliveries and essential supplies, viewing them as attempts to pressure and harass Indian diplomats through non-diplomatic means rather than resolving underlying issues through dialogue.
In response, India mirrored Pakistan's tactic by halting the supply of newspapers to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, signalling escalating diplomatic hostilities in a tit-for-tat pattern.
The implications for India-Pakistan relations are significant. Heightened diplomatic tensions, potential diplomatic violations, further erosion of dialogue, increased mistrust, and instability are all potential outcomes of this escalation. The restrictions have made it difficult for Indian diplomats to stay informed about local news, current affairs, and developments within Pakistan through print sources.
Experts in diplomatic affairs view these restrictions as a new low in India-Pakistan relations, with Islamabad escalating tensions by disrupting basic services to Indian diplomats in its capital. The MEA characterizes Pakistan's actions as "petty retaliation" driven by frustration over its failures to counter India on the battlefield.
This restriction on the supply of newspapers is part of a broader pattern of retaliatory actions in the context of India-Pakistan relations. The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty is a significant development that occurred following India's 'Operation Sindoor.' The Pakistani government imposed targeted restrictions on the Indian High Commission in Islamabad starting from June 2025, including halting the supply of newspapers.
Local newspaper vendors and distributors in Pakistan were instructed not to deliver any newspapers or printed publications to the Indian diplomatic mission. The Indian diplomats stationed in Islamabad have been cut off from accessing Pakistani print media. The restriction is seen as a continuation of Pakistan's long-standing policy of using unconventional and non-diplomatic tactics to apply pressure on Indian diplomats.
The MEA sources have condemned the restriction on the supply of newspapers to the Indian High Commission as "deliberate, premeditated, and in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." The restriction on the supply of newspapers is represented as part of a broader pattern of retaliatory actions, reflecting increasing reliance on retaliatory tactics over meaningful communication, potentially undermining conflict resolution. Such symbolic yet disruptive measures contribute to deepening mistrust and instability in an already volatile relationship shaped by military conflict and diplomatic disputes.
- Given the restriction on the supply of newspapers to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the Indian diplomats are finding it challenging to keep up with local news and general current affairs within Pakistan.
- Experts on diplomatic affairs consider the Pakistan government's restriction on the supply of newspapers to the Indian High Commission as a part of a broader pattern of retaliatory actions, which they view as a significant escalation and a new low in India-Pakistan relations.
