FO was not informed about diplomats' visit to Swat: Baloch

A policeman was martyred when explosion hit vehicle leading diplomats on the way to Malam Jaba earlier this week

ISLAMABAD:

In a startling revelation, the foreign office on Thursday disclosed that it was not aware of the recent visit of about a dozen ambassadors to Swat where they narrowly escaped a terrorist attack.

At least one police official part of the security squad was martyred when an explosion hit the vehicle leading the diplomats on the way to Malam Jaba earlier this week. All foreign ambassadors, who attended an event organised by the chamber of commerce, were unharmed and returned to Islamabad safely.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the incident raised serious questions about the security arrangements. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government claimed it was not informed about the visit of foreign diplomats to the region which was once a hotbed of terrorism.

On Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked a series of questions about the incident, protocols and the role of the foreign ministry.

To utter surprise of many, the spokesperson said the foreign was not informed about the visit.

She said Pakistan condemned that incident of September 23 and our security agencies were investigating.

"With regards to this particular incident of 23rd of September, this was a trip which was organised by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and not by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any government institution," the spokesperson revealed.

"We have taken serious note of the lapses which were made by the concerned individuals, including their failure to inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of organising such a high profile visit," she added.

"We are also in the process of developing guidelines to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. The Deputy Prime Minister, you are right, has met with the Ambassadors and Heads of Missions of the countries involved. He has assured them that Pakistan will fully investigate this incident and institute procedures to ensure their full safety," she told reporters.

She further explained that with regards to the travel of any diplomat to the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa, there were procedures in place.

"We have undertaken internal investigation, and have come to the conclusion that as far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned, all protocols were followed," she said.

"That includes information regarding the travel of ambassadors who contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs individually regarding their travel to the K-P province. This information was shared with the K-P government in writing, and we have documentary evidence for that," she said.

"Some ambassadors individually approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informing us of their travel as has been their practice. This information was shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the K-P government."

"As for the event, which was organised by the Chamber of Commerce, the details of the event were not shared by the Chamber of Commerce with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So, the fact that there would be so many ambassadors traveling together for a particular event not shared with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are in the process of discussions and internal deliberations on how to rectify what has happened and how to fix this for the future," the spokesperson said.

She, nevertheless, said Pakistan was committed to providing full security to any diplomat who is in Pakistan.

"We are committed to making their stay in Pakistan as comfortable and as secure as possible. In that respect, we encourage foreign diplomats to explore Pakistan and to follow the guidelines that have been shared with them on several occasions with regards to their travel to any part of Pakistan,” she stressed.