India's envoy to Pakistan leaves Islamabad for Delhi

India's High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria, left Islamabad on Saturday to return to New Delhi.

Bisaria left Islamabad as Pakistan rejected India's call to reconsider its decision to downgrade bilateral diplomatic ties.

Prime Minister Imran Khan's government in Islamabad had decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi earlier this week, protesting India's move to strip Jammu and Kashmir of the special status and reorganize the state into two Union Territories.

Islamabad had asked New Delhi to withdraw High Commissioner of India to Pakistan.

Pakistan had also conveyed that it would not send its newly-appointed High Commissioner to India, Moin ul Haque, to New Delhi.

New Delhi had urged Islamabad to reconsider the decision. Pakistan government, however, showed no sign of taking back its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with the neighbouring country.

Several other diplomats and consular officers of High Commission of India in Islamabad are also leaving Pakistan. Sources in New Delhi, however, said that a few other officials, apart from the High Commissioner, were coming to India on routine leaves during Eid ul-Adha holidays and would return to Pakistan shortly.

Bisaria, however, will not return to Islamabad till Pakistan reverses its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India.