Two Indian High Commission employees arrested after hit-and-run incident

According to media reports, Pakistani mission in New Delhi besieged by Indian intelligence agencies

ISLAMABAD: The capital territory police on Monday arrested two officials of the Indian High Commission who were involved in a "hit-and-run" incident, official said.

However, they were freed after the Foreign Office intervene in the matter, they added.

The detained Indian officials were identified as Dwimu Brahma and Paul Selvadhas. They arrived in the country in 2017, according to the letter of the Foreign Office.

As per the communication between the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police and the Foreign Office, both the Indian staffers were “non-diplomats” but were freed since they were on official duty when their car hit a pedestrian in the federal capital.

Sources said both the officials tried to flee but were stopped by bystanders. Later, they were handed over to the Secretariat Police station where one of the officials was found having fake currency notes.

An FIR (First Information Report) registered at the Secretariat Police Station said the two officials ran over a pedestrian and subsequently attempted to flee.

Counterfeit currency notes were also recovered from one of the detained Indian high commission officials, the FIR added.

Neither the Foreign Office nor the Indian High Commission issued any formal statement.

The incident was first reported by the Indian media, which claimed that two Indian officials went missing when they came out of the office for some work.

The media also reported that the Pakistani chargé d'affaires was summoned by the Indian External Affairs Ministry over the incident.

According to the media reports, soon after the arrests of two Indian staffers in Islamabad, the Pakistani mission in New Delhi was besieged by Indian intelligence agencies with the intention to harass its diplomatic staff.

On May 31, India expelled two Pakistani officials of the High Commission in New Delhi after declaring them as persona non grata on the charges of being involved in espionage.

They were beaten so much that one of the Pakistani staffer was unconscious when he was received by the Pakistani mission.

Pakistan had strongly condemned the incident and termed the Indian authorities move a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

The harassment of diplomats has further deepened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which already downgraded their diplomatic ties after India revoked the semi-autonomous status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir August 5.

It should be recalled that the two countries had after a series of complaints of harassment incidents reached an understanding in March 2018 to address the grievances in accordance with the bilaterally-agreed 1992 ‘Code of Conduct’ on the treatment of diplomatic and consular staff in each other’s country.

The agreement read: “India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 ‘Code of Conduct’ for treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan.”

The code was meant to ensure “smooth and unhindered functioning” of each other’s diplomatic missions and consular staff and guarantee that the privileges and immunities of the diplomatic and consular staff and premises were not violated.