MEA summons Pakistan's Charge d’Affaires over harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad

A day after two Indian High Commission officers were released by Pakistan, the government summoned Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission of Pakistan Haider Shah on Tuesday for the second time in two days. The Ministry of External Affairs lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani diplomat and deplored the action of authorities in the case. The Indian authorities have also highlighted the previous cases of harassment of diplomats in Karachi and rejected the attempt by Pakistan to levy false accusations and concocted charges on the officials of the Indian High Commission. 

"These actions by Pakistan not only constitute an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 as also the ‘Code of Conduct for treatment of Diplomatic / Consular personnel in India and Pakistan signed in 1992 and reaffirmed by both sides in March 2018, but are also against all established norms and practices of diplomatic conduct," a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs read. 

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Furthermore, Indian authorities have also strongly hit out at the neighbouring country for such continued unilateral actions aimed at escalating tensions and stated that such attempts will not succeed in diverting attention from the core issue of Pakistan’s continued hostile activities and sponsorship of cross-border terrorism against India. 

Pakistan releases Indian officials 

Pakistan on Monday released the two junior officials from custody and handed them over to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Earlier in the day, India demanded the return of the two officials who were allegedly in ISI custody, in the pretence of a 'hit-and-run' case. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) which had summoned Pakistan's Charge d'affaires to India, stated that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials, as per sources. 

Two Indian High Commission staff members in Pakistan were reported to be missing since morning while on official work. Pakistan media had reported that the two junior officials were arrested over the charge of a hit-and-run in Islamabad, which had left a person injured,  but the officials were allegedly 'abducted' and taken into ISI custody.