India, Pakistan Trade Allegations of Officials Being Harassed

Pakistan and India have claimed that their officials have been abused and harassed on each other’s soil.

PM Modi(left) and Pakistani PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi(right)

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

On Saturday, 17 March, the External Affairs Ministry complained to the Pakistan government that some Indian diplomats out for shopping in Islamabad claimed to have been aggressively followed and verbally abused.

This is the second such incident in the last three days, NDTV reported. An Indian diplomat and his family were chased by two men on a motorbike as they were on their way to a restaurant, on Thursday, 16 March, the report added.

This was the 12th diplomatic communication from New Delhi on the subject this year, sources told NDTV.

This comes a few days after Pakistan lodged complaints with the External Affairs Ministry alleging that Pakistani officials working in New Delhi have been subjected to intimidation and harassment, adding that it would pull back its officials if the incidents failed to stop.

Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported that Pakistani officials had approached the Indian External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, as well as the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, alleging harassment by Indians in New Delhi.

It is becoming difficult for Pakistani diplomats posted in India to keep their families with them because of an increase in incidents of harassment, Dawn reported a Pakistani source as stating.

Children of Pakistani Officials Being Harassed: Source

The Dawn report quotes an unnamed source as stating that in the past week, children of Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi were allegedly stopped and harassed on their way to school. The report continues, quoting the source as stating that another incident took place in New Delhi where a senior Pak diplomat was allegedly harassed.

The source said diplomatic vehicles were being stopped on different pretexts and searched. Members of diplomatic staff were also abused in public and a number of vehicles have met with accidents.

Excerpt from the Dawn report

The Wire quoted Pakistani officials as claiming that as many as six incidents of Pakistani officials being harassed were reported in under three days.

Pakistan’s Allegations Primarily Source-Based

A senior Pakistani official’s car was stopped and the vehicle allegedly scratched, in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri on 7 March, The Wire reported. A complaint was lodged with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about the incident.

A day later, on March 8, the Pakistani deputy high commissioner’s vehicle was reportedly chased by a motorcycle and a car. The vehicle was ferrying the deputy high commissioner’s children to school at the time, when it was reportedly stopped and abuses hurled at the children, The Wire added, quoting Pakistani sources.

On the same day, the Pakistan high commission’s minister-political’s car was also chased and scratched.

‘Indian Officials in Pakistan Facing Aggressive Harassment’

Noting that the Pakistan High Commission has brought to the Ministry of External Affair's notice some incidents of alleged harassment over the last few days, sources within the MEA said these will no doubt be investigated, PTI reported.

India makes all efforts to provide a safe, secure and hospitable environment for diplomats to work in. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of Islamabad. The Indian High Commission in Pakistan has been facing tremendous harassment for long, particularly in the last year.

MEA Source, to PTI

In more trouble, over the last few months, several Indian High Commission staffers have been severely harassed and intimidated, the source said to PTI, adding that in one case an official's home was broken into, and a laptop stolen.

‘Most Families Have Returned to India’

"Aggressive surveillance, violation of physical space and tailing of officers in close and dangerous proximity is a perennial issue. Agency personnel keep shooting videos of the officers thrusting phones on their faces,” the source added to PTI.

"Obscene phone calls and messages are constantly received on phones. In view of such an atmosphere of intimidation, most families have returned to India and children have been withdrawn from schools," the source said.

The Times of India reported an incident, where a group of men allegedly raided an Indian-owned residential complex in Islamabad, being constructed for Indian diplomats, last month and disconnected water and electricity supply, refusing to restore the supply for two weeks.

India’s residential complex in Islamabad was raided by Pakistan agencies who expelled all Pakistani service providers and later disconnected power and water supply. Despite the Foreign Secretary’s assurance, the power supply was not restored for over two weeks. The Pakistan High Commission faces no such disruptions.

However, sources said to PTI that India has repeatedly requested Pakistan to mutually ensure that High Commissions are allowed to do their job in an atmosphere free of harassment and intimidation, that staff be allowed to work and that construction projects get completed on time.

(With inputs from PTI, TOI, The Wire, NDTV and Dawn)