‘Arrested’ Indian High Commission Officials In Pakistan Released After Govt Intervenes

New Delhi: Two Indian High Commission officials, who were reportedly missing since Monday morning, were released in the evening.

Pakistan TV channel Geo News had reported that Islamabad Police had ‘arrested’ two Indian High Commission officials for allegedly trying to escape after their vehicle hit a pedestrian.

Soon after the news broke, India summoned Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah and issued a demarche demanding the release of both officials.

In their protest through diplomatic channels, the Indian government made it clear to the Pakistan CDA (charge d’affaires) that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials, The Indian Express quoted sources as saying.

“Responsibility for the safety and security of the diplomatic personnel lay squarely with the Pakistani authorities. The Pakistan side was asked to return the two officials along with the official car to the High Commission immediately,” sources informed.

Earlier in the day, the Geo News report claimed that a BMW car “hit a pedestrian on the embassy road around 8 am and attempted to flee.”

Quoting “eyewitnesses”, the report further said that the pedestrian was critically injured and shifted to a hospital while the car was stopped by a “huge crowd of people who handed over the two men to Islamabad Police”.

Also Read: Two Indian High Commission Staffers Go Missing In Pakistan