FC complex incident: Pakistan protests over US soldiers’ misconduct

US army personnel tried to crash the gate of the Frontier Corps Complex in Peshawar a few days ago.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with United States over an incident in which US army personnel tried to crash the gate of the Frontier Corps Complex in Hayatabad, Peshawar, a few days ago.

The US ambassador was summoned and handed over a protest letter over the incident.

It is learnt that the Pakistan embassy in Washington has also been instructed to raise the issue at appropriate level.

The US personnel attempted to enter the compound without prior permission and created bitterness when the security officials tried to resist their entry.

The foreign secretary took up the matter with the US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides, who was in Islamabad last week.

The US soldiers were living in a portion of the complex until a few weeks ago when they were evicted after Islamabad asked Washington to reduce its military presence in Pakistan.

The US soldiers were trying to enter the premises on the pretext that they wanted to collect their belongings which they had left while leaving their accommodations.

They resorted to hooliganism when they were told to seek permission from Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to enter the compound. They also displayed disorderly behaviour by kicking the gate and hurling abuses upon the FC personnel.

This is the second such incident in which US personnel and Pakistani security officials were at loggerheads over the past few weeks.

US personnel suffered embarrassment when their vehicles were intercepted by local police at a security check post in Peshawar a few days ago.

The situation was created when the US personnel refused to answer the security officials posted at the check post. The issue was resolved when US diplomats, who came to the rescue of the US security agents, approached Islamabad.

Relations between the two countries are at the lowest ebb on a variety of issues, but more so after the Abbottabad raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2011.