india

Updated: Jan 21, 2019 23:51 IST

India has complained to the Pakistan government about a fresh instance of two staff members of its high commission in Islamabad being intercepted and threatened by Pakistani security personnel last week, people familiar with developments said on Monday.

The external affairs ministry has also protested to Pakistan about a speech by Ansar-ul-Ummah chief Fazlur Rehman Khalil in Lahore on January 14, during which he advocated “terror and violence against India”, the people said. A note verbale sent by the Indian high commission to Pakistan’s Foreign Office said two staff members of the Indian mission were intercepted by “Pakistani agency personnel” within the high-security diplomatic enclave in Islamabad at 10 am on January 15, the people said.

The Pakistani personnel questioned the Indian staff members about an alleged incident in New Delhi on January 13 that involved an official of the Pakistani mission, and also “threatened…that they would reciprocate in the same way”, a person said. Pakistan had formally protested to India about an official from its high commission in New Delhi being held at a police station for several hours on January 13 after a woman alleged he behaved inappropriately with her at a market.

The Indian side asked Pakistani authorities to investigate the incident of January 15 and to ensure that “such incidents do not recur”, the people cited above said. Such incidents of harassment of officials violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the safety of Indian diplomats and their family members in Islamabad is the responsibility of the Pakistan government, they added.

In a separate note verbale, the external affairs ministry lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan’s Foreign Office over the speech in Lahore by Khalil, the founder of the banned Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) who was designated a global terrorist by the US treasury department in 2014.

The Indian side protested at “the use of Pakistan-controlled territory by extremist elements to freely propagate and promote terror against India”, the people said. It also called on Pakistan to “fulfill its international obligations and abide by its bilateral commitment to not allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India”, they added. According to the US treasury department, the HuM operates in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.