Indian govt will not attend Pakistan Day event in Delhi

KARACHI: The Indian government will not send any official representative to the Pakistan Day event at the Pakistan Mission in New Delhi on Friday.

It is learnt that the government decided against sending any representative to the reception because Pakistan had invited the representatives of the Hurriyat Conference to the event.

The Pakistan National Day is observed every year on March 23, but the Pakistan High Commission had decided to organise the reception this year on March 22.

An Indian minister usually represents the government at the event. Amid the downturn in bilateral ties following the Pulwama terror attack last month, India had formally complained to the Pakistan government about instances of its diplomats and officials in Islamabad being harassed by security personnel, according to Hindustan Times.

In a note verbale – an unsigned diplomatic correspondence – submitted to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on March 18, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad detailed the incidents that occurred last week and sought an investigation, people familiar with developments said.