Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, India, is more heavily staffed than any other Pakistani embassy, high commission or consulate general abroad, Pakistan Today has learned.

According to documents available with Pakistan Today, at present, there are 98 personnel working at Pakistan High Commission in India, while Indian High Commission in Islamabad has 99 personnel. The total sanctioned strength of Indian High Commission is 110, 108 employees were working before the expulsion of eight diplomats who were declared personas non grata for their alleged involvement in espionage activities aimed to destabilise Pakistan in general and CPEC in particular.

The Pakistan-India relationship was always dictated by strict principles of reciprocity. However, in the midst of recent month’s escalation of tensions on Line of Control and India-occupied Kashmir, diplomats from both countries were being dragged into a slugfest of tit-for-tat expulsions.

Pakistan has embassies, high commissions and consulate generals around the world, the expenditures to keep 122 foreign missions up and running came around Rs 44.23 billion during the past four years. During 2015-16 alone, Rs 11.72 billion were spent on Pakistan’s foreign missions, a billion rupees more than 2013-14.

Pakistan had closed its mission entirely in Chile back in 2014, while the Pakistani embassy in Sana’a, Yemen, has been closed temporarily due war.

At present, the strength of Pakistani embassy in Kabul stands at 60 personnel, followed by missions in Jeddah with 57 employees and Washington with 54. Pakistani embassy in Beijing has 46 personnel, followed by Pakistani embassy in Dubai and Dhaka with 41 staffers each.

A total of 1,962 personnel are deployed in foreign missions all over the world. In addition to diplomatic missions, Pakistan maintains four audit and accounts offices in Jeddah, London, Washington and New York.