India issues another note verbale to Pak

New Delhi: India has again issued a note verbale to Pakistan after three incidents of harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad on Thursday, even as Pakistan’s high commissioner Sohail Mahmood is returning to New Delhi to host the Pakistan National Day celebrations on Friday at the high commission.

Following the ugly harassment row over diplomats between India and Pakistan that has raged for the past few weeks, Mr Mahmood was on March 15 recalled to Islamabad for consultations.

It was speculated that Mr Mahmood’s return to India may ease the tension between the two countries, but with the latest incidents of harassment of Indian diplomats in the Pakistani capital, these hopes seem to have been dashed.

Indian government sources said that the vehicle of the Indian Deputy High Commissioner was aggressively followed by two people in a car on Thursay while he was going to an embassy in Islamabad.

Sources further said that in another incident, the Indian naval attaché was “aggressively followed by a person on a motorbike while he was going to the Serena Hotel there for a meeting”.

In the third incident on Thursday, sources said the Second Secretary (Political) of the Indian High Commission “was aggressively followed and harassed by a person at Street-1 Café within Diplomatic Enclave”. The Indian diplomat had apparently gone there for an official meeting with a diplomat.

India has demanded that Pakistan probe the incidents.

On March 20 also, India had issued a note verbale to Pakistan on harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad.

Indian government sources had earlier said that on Tuesday, “the vehicles of the Indian deputy high commissioner, military, air and naval attachés were aggressively tailed on motorbikes in close proximity within a threatening distance”.