India lodges fresh protest with Pakistan on ‘harassment’
This is the third protest by the Indian high commission to the Pakistani authorities over harassment and intimidation of its officials and staffers in as many days
New Delhi: India on Tuesday lodged yet another protest with Pakistan over more incidents of harassment and intimidation of its officials and staff members posted in the high commission in Islamabad, two people familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity.
This came after the vehicles of India’s deputy high commissioner, military attaché, air attaché and naval attaché were aggressively tailed by people on motorbikes “in close proximity within a threatening distance, while coming from their residences to the chancery and going back from the chancery to their residences" on Tuesday, one of the people cited above said.
“Staff members of the high commission received unsolicited and objectionable calls from Pakistan-registered numbers on their phones 5-6 times since Monday," the person said.
In a third instance, an Indian diplomat going to the Australian high commission for a meeting was aggressively followed by two people in a Suzuki Mehran car, the person said.
The website of the Indian high commission continues to be intermittently blocked, the person said, adding that this was causing inconvenience and had affected normal functioning of the mission.
“Such incidents of harassment, intimidation and threats to physical security of diplomats and officials are in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, and a threat to the security and safety of the personnel of the high commission of India," the second person cited above said.
“We have requested Pakistan to immediately investigate all these incidents and direct the relevant authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Results of the investigation may kindly be shared with the high commission," the second person added.
This is the third protest by the Indian high commission to the Pakistani authorities over harassment and intimidation of its officials and staffers in as many days.
Last week, Pakistan had called back its high commissioner Sohail Mahmood to Islamabad for consultations following alleged instances of harassment of its diplomats in New Delhi.
The spike in tensions between the two countries due to the cases of harassment and intimidation has dimmed hopes of a thaw between the two countries, sparked by Pakistan accepting proposals from India for the exchange of elderly, sick and women prisoners earlier this month.
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