An official of the Pakistan High Commission was arrested by the Indian authorities on Sunday, January 13, 2019, and was released after the matter was raised by Pakistan; local publications reported quoting sources in the Foreign Office.
The reports said that the Pakistani official was kept under detention for several hours and forcefully made to sign some papers. Pakistan took up the matter with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and lodged a strong protest over the act of unlawful detention of its diplomatic official, following which he was released. The arrest of the diplomatic official is a violation of the Vienna Convention and Pakistan reportedly made it clear to India that it has the right to retaliate to any such incident.
In March last year, Pakistan’s foreign office had released an official statement saying that the Indian government had continued to bully and harass Pakistan’s diplomatic mission officials and their families.
The sources in foreign office did not disclose the place where the incident took place. However, the Indian media and publications claimed that the official had gotten involved in an altercation with an Indian woman in a market in New Delhi. Following the alleged incident, the woman lodged a complaint against him at a local police station where he was subsequently shifted.
The Indian media reports said that the official was “allowed” to go after he “apologized” to the complainant at the police station. They quoted sources in the Indian government that there had been no arrest.
In March last year, Pakistan’s foreign office had released an official statement saying that the Indian government had continued to bully and harass Pakistan’s diplomatic mission officials and their families. In the same regard, Subsequently, Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh was summoned by Director General South Asia and Saarc Dr. Mohammad Faisal and a protest was lodged at “the maltreatment being meted out to the officials and families of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi”, read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
Relations between Pakistan and India have historically been tense, and the tensions have aggravated under the BJP government, especially as the elections approach; BJP’s vote bank relies on intense hate mongering against Pakistan.
Frequent ceasefire violations have been reported on the Line of Control and Working Boundary by India; in fact, the highest number of breaches took place in 2017 since the 2003 ceasefire accord took effect leaving 87 people dead.