Pakistan, India agree to resolve issue of harassment of diplomats

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ISLAMABAD: In a major development to end the diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan, both countries on Friday mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises.

“India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 ‘Code of Conduct’ for treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in Pakistan and India,” said Foreign Office (FO) Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal in a statement.

However, no details were shared with the media.

It is worth mentioning that tensions further grew between both nuclear countries after staff at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi had complained of being harassed in their host country.

The diplomats also complained of their families being harassed.

Two more incidents of harassment of officers and families of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi emerged on March 13, a day after the FO lodged a strong protest with a senior Indian diplomat stationed in Pakistan.

The incidents were part of a trend that started in the second week of March when a senior Pakistani diplomat’s vehicle was stopped and damaged. The following day, Pakistani deputy high commissioners’ vehicle was chased by unknown individuals in a car and on a motorbike, who dragged the driver out of the car and hurled abuses at him.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, had taken up the matter, saying that the staff and their families had been facing harassment, intimidation and “outright violence” from Indian state agencies.

Diplomatic sources had told the media that a senior Pakistani diplomat was forced to stop his car and was harassed by unknown individuals on a busy road in the Indian capital. The incident happened when the diplomat was on his way to home after work.

In yet another incident, the vehicles of diplomats’ families were stopped at a road in a similar fashion and harassed.

Two days later, a car carrying school-going children of Pakistan’s counsellor was followed by “unknown persons on cars and motorcycles”. Moreover, the vehicle was blocked and videos and photographs of the children were constantly made for 40 minutes.

Alongside, the drivers of the high commission were forcibly halted and their mobile phones were forcefully switched off to prevent them from contacting anyone.

In another incident, the vehicle of another senior Pakistani counsellor was forcefully stopped by an unknown individual who then disembarked and took pictures of the counsellor. The unknown individual did not let the senior counsellor’s vehicle pass by obstructing his vehicle and turned a 10-minute journey home into a 90-minute ordeal.

Pakistani high commissioner raised the issue with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and met with the MEA joint secretary to discuss the incidents.

Following the meeting, two counsellors of the Pakistani mission were harassed in a similar manner. Pakistan High Commission again raised the issue with the MEA.

After those incidents, the Pakistani High Commission was summoned back to Islamabad and consultations were carried out to counter the harassment incidents.

The FO also summoned Indian deputy high commissioner and registered strong protest over the incidents. South Asia DG Dr Faisal handed over a protest letter to the diplomat and said that the protection of diplomatic staff was the responsibility of India under the Vienna Convention, which it had failed to fulfil.

2 COMMENTS

  1. The journalist who wrote this article only cited one side of the narrative. He conveniently ignored the part where Indian diplomats were harassed in Pakistan. I understand that Pakistan audience want to hear that Pakistan is innocent and it is India who is doing all the provoking. Even then, the journalist in question should be professional and write for mature audience. This is the only way to promote tolerance and critical thinking in the young people who read this article.

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