2 TORTURED INDIAN HIGH COMMISSION STAFFERS RETURN

The two Indian High Commission staffers who had suffered grievous injuries during their illegal custody by Pakistani security agencies exactly a week ago in Islamabad, returned to India on Monday through the Attari-Wagah land border in Punjab, government sources confirmed on Monday.

According to news agency reports from Attari (Indian side of Punjab land border), along with these two staffers who had been tortured, three other officials from the Indian High Commission also returned thereby taking the total number of Indian personnel who returned to five.

This comes at a time when the Indian High Commission will repatriate a total of 748 Indian nationals back from Pakistan from June 25 to 27 through the Attari-Wagah border, expected to be part of the Vande Bharat Mission for repatriation of Indians from across the globe who have a compelling reason to return amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

It may be recalled that India had summoned Pakistani Charge d’Affaires Syed Haidar Shah last Tuesday and had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan for its action of coercing the two officials to accept false charges against them. The Pakistani action by its spy agency ISI is seen as retaliation by Islamabad after two Pakistan High Commission officials were asked to leave India late last month after being caught carrying out espionage activities.

New Delhi had also rejected “the attempt by Pakistani authorities to levy false accusations and concocted charges on the officials of the High Commission”.