The Islamabad police were made to apologise for arresting four Chinese nationals for alleged involvement in illegal activities after the intervention of the Chinese embassy, a report in the local media said on Saturday.
According to the report, the arrests were made on July 26 from Sectors F-8/3 and F-8/4 over which the embassy showed displeasure and lodged a complaint with the Foreign Office. In response, the Foreign Office approached the Interior Ministry and asked it to resolve the issue.
The Interior Ministry ordered the police to release the Chinese and also tender an apology to them. But by the time these orders reached the police, a case had already been registered against the foreigners and a local court sent them to jail. It took two more days to get them released on bail.
The report said that one of the arrested Chinese nationals was carrying her two-and-a-half-year-old baby who was also shifted to the Margalla P0lice Station. The baby was later handed over to her uncle.
After their release, when the police were asked to apologise to the Chinese nationals, a senior police officer met them and tendered an apology. However, it did not satisfy those who had asked for the apology, the report said, adding that two female police officials visited the Chinese at their residences with bouquets and sweets and apologised for their arrest.
In the inquiry conducted twice, the Chinese were found innocent and the police admitted their mistake, the report said, adding that the case was then quashed on the orders of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.
The four Chinese were arrested along with 16 other people during separate raids conducted at F-8/3 and F-8/4.
The release on bail of the foreigners also helped the 16 other people to obtain bail from the court.
Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu confirmed that the four Chinese were released after the authority concerned was approached by the mission. “The Chinese people are innocent and the arrest was just a mistake and the police have apologised for it,” he added.
