Pakistan has expelled an Indian diplomat for allegedly engaging in activities incompatible with his status - a phrase normally used to mean spying.
The Pakistani foreign ministry identified the diplomat as Deepak Kaul, a councilor at India's embassy in Islamabad. The Foreign Ministry did not say what activities prompted the expulsion. However, unofficial ministry sources tell reporters he was caught with sensitive documents, and that he was detained by police.
Hours after Pakistan announced that Kaul's expulsion, India announced it had expelled a Pakistani diplomat named Sayed Mohammed Rafq Ahmed, a councillor at the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi. Officials did not give a reason for the expulsion.
Relations between India and Pakistan have improved in recent years. There have been ongoing peace talks about the status of the province of Kashmir, and as part of those talks, India and Pakistan have exchanged prisoners and begun new cross-border transportation links.
However, tensions increased after India linked Pakistan-based militants to the July 11 Mumbai (Bombay) train bombings that killed nearly 200 people and wounded 700.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP.