India on Sunday “strongly protested” after guests at an Iftar event organised on Saturday by its mission in Islamabad complained of harassment by Pakistani security agencies.
“Guests faced unprecedented harassment and intimidation at the hands of security agencies. A concerted campaign was launched by Pakistan’s security agencies in the days preceding the Iftar function to reach out to invitees to actively dissuade them from attending the event,” said a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The statement elaborated that guests for the occasion came from different parts of Pakistan and were harassed by the security agencies. In some cases, cars belonging to the guests were taken away by the security personnel. “Stopping diplomats and officials of the High Commission of India in Pakistan from discharging their diplomatic functions by intimidation and coercion is entirely counter-productive for our bilateral relationship,” the High Commission of India said.
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On Sunday, a relative of the Indian envoy took to social media confirming the incident. “All those guests last evening fasting and expecting to break their roza with the Indian High Commission; many stood for almost an hour on the road in the searing heat, famished. So unfortunate. Somehow at home we never let a guest go hungry,” said Bharati Chaturvedi, spouse of the Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria on her Twitter handle.
Similar comments were put out by noted Pakistanis who were among the invitees. Politician and activist Farhatullah Babar and journalist Mehreen Zahra-Malik, among others, called out security forces of Pakistan for “unprecedented level of harassment” at the Iftar and dinner organised by the Indian High Commissioner at Serena Hotel in Islamabad. Ms. Zahra-Malik pointed out that apart from police, Pakistan’s anti-terrorism teams were also stationed at the gates of the hotel.
Mr. Babar said that the Indian envoy conducted himself “with great grace”.
This is the second time in less than a week that such an incident was reported. On May 27, the Pakistan High Commission had organised an Iftar in Delhi. According to a report carried by The Tribune, Indian guests at the event had complained about harassment and videography by security personnel belonging to Indian agencies.
Both these incidents have cast a shadow over the cordial exchanges between the Indian and Pakistani leaders since the re-election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following Mr. Modi’s re-election, Pakistan PM Imran Khan had reached out to him on May 26 and both sides had discussed the regional situation. They are scheduled to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan later this month.
Following the Pulwama terror attack and Balakot strike, reports of harassment of guests at Indian and Pakistani missions have often been reported.