‘Pak envoy not to return to India till row settled’

Pakistan’s envoy to India, who was called back to Islamabad for consultations over the alleged harassment of diplomats in New Delhi, is unlikely to return till the situation improves, officials here said on Saturday.

Islamabad has also decided not to send commerce minister Pervaiz Malik for a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting being hosted by New Delhi during March 19-20, the officials said. The decision to boycott the meeting was taken at the “highest level”, an unnamed official told The Express Tribune newspaper.

Pakistan’s high commissioner, Sohail Mahmood, was called back for consultations on bilateral relations “due to nonstop harassment of families of the diplomats”, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal had said. Officials here said Mahmood, who arrived on Friday evening, was not expected to return till the situation improves.

“Our high commissioner will not return to India anytime soon,” an unnamed foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by the Tribune. This is the first time since 2002 that Pakistan has called backed its envoy from New Delhi in this fashion.

Over the past week, India and Pakistan have repeatedly traded accusations about the harassment and ill-treatment of their diplomats. India has handed over 11 notes verbale or semi-formal diplomatic communication, detailing the harassment of diplomats and their families in Islamabad since January 1.

The Indian side has also complained about the blocking of official websites, which affected the issuance of visas, lewd calls to homes of officials, and aggressive tailing of the vehicles of its diplomats. The Pakistani side has complained about more than 25 instances of its diplomats and their families being harassed in New Delhi. India has said it is making all efforts to provide a “safe and secure environment” for the Pakistan diplomats, but it also wants Pakistan to resolve problems faced by Indian envoys.

Though it was initially thought high commissioner Mahmood would return to New Delhi after briefing the Foreign Office about the situation, officials said several options were currently being considered. Pakistan could declare New Delhi a “non-family” posting or Mahmood could be asked not to return for an “indefinite period”, they said.

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