New Delhi:Pakistan has finally handed over two Indian officials to the mission in Islamabad, after keeping them in custody for almost twelve hours on charges of a hit and run case.
The CISF men- D Brahma and Paul Selvadahs- both non-diplomats are on deputation at the Indian mission and enjoy diplomatic immunity under the Vienna convention as the personnel deployed in the High Commission.
They underwent medical examination after release on Monday evening and have reportedly sustained minor injuries.
Earlier on Monday morning the two CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel, including a driver, left the mission in Islamabad at around half-past eight.
They were untraceable for almost two hours when the Indian High Commission took up the matter with Pakistani authorities.
The men were suspected to have been detained by Pakistani intelligence agencies.
Read:|Pak summons senior Indian diplomat over expulsion of 2 High Commission officials
Later Pakistani media quoted local police sources claiming that the Indian officials were allegedly involved in a hit and run case and were trying to flee when they were arrested which led to a mob assaulting them.
An FIR has also been slapped against the men for over speeding while driving and hitting a pedestrian and owning fake currency worth PKR 10,000, a charge that Indian sources say are ‘concocted’.
The Indian men were released as they enjoy diplomatic immunity.
India earlier summoned the Charge D’Affaires (CDA) in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi over the arrest of two of its officials in Islamabad.
According to sources, the acting Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi Syed Haider Shah was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs this afternoon and served a demarche on the reported arrest by Joint Secretary in MEA in charge of the PAI (Pak-Afghan-Iran) desk.
“The demarche to the Pakistan CDA made clear that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials. The responsibility for the safety and security of the concerned diplomatic personnel lay squarely with the Pakistani authorities,” said sources.
Read:| Two CISF personnel go missing in Pakistan: Sources
However Indian officials claimed that the hit and run case as being grounds of arrest has not been communicated officially by the Pakistani authorities.
“Pakistan side was asked to return the two officials along with the official car to the High Commission immediately,” added an Indian official.
Later on Monday evening after almost twelve hours, the men were released after the Police Secretariat Islamabad filed an ascertainment of the status report (Letter Number 1808-5A-Sectt) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan. The report signed by the Hassan Arsal Khan, Director General Protocol mentions that the Indian High Commission officials were ‘involved in a road accident’.
Reports suggest the High Commission’s car that the men were driving has also been damaged.
The incident follows days after two Pakistani officials and a driver with the mission in New Delhi were first detained and then expelled by India on allegations of spying and trying to obtain top security documents related to the Indian security establishment.
The charges were denied by Islamabad and there have been speculations of a tit-for-tat move. Since then both sides have also accused each there's intelligence agencies and security personnel of harassing, tailing and intimidating diplomatic staff including the acting High Commissioner’s in respective countries and sources have released videos too to support their claims.
Report by Senior Journalist Smita Sharma
