NEW DELHI, Dec 14:
There is no proposal to reduce the strength of Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the government said today.
Eight Indian officials have come back in the last two months after Pakistan levelled “baseless allegations” against them and endangered their safety and security by making their identity public.
The “baseless allegation by Pakistan against these officials followed Pakistan’s decision to withdraw six Pakistani diplomats reportedly named by Mehmood Akhtar, who was apprehended by Indian law enforcement authorities on October 27, 2016 while indulging in anti-India activities,” Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
“The positions falling vacant in the Indian High Commission, Islamabad consequent to the return of the aforementioned eight officials to India are to be filled through normal administrative process. There is no proposal with the government to reduce the strength of the High Commission,” Singh said.
Singh also said while change in the leadership of Pakistan’s State institutions, including its army is an internal matter, there has been a sustained escalation this year of cross-border terrorism and infiltration of armed terrorists across IB and LoC tasked to carry out terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India.
He was asked whether heightened diplomatic and border tension between the two countries is a creation by ISI to dictate its terms in the matter of succession to its current chief.
The minister further said the government has reminded Pakistan through military and diplomatic channels about its responsibility to stop all terrorism directed against India, emanating from territories under Pakistan’s control.
Singh also said that in view of the continued violation of ceasefire along the LoC and IB, the government sent demarches to Pakistan by summoning top officials from the High Commission in the national capital.
The “Government also strongly condemned the increase in concentration of terrorists observed along LoC in the vicinity of Pakistani forward posts and asked Pakistani authorities to ensure that its territory and territories under its control are not used for anti-India terrorism”, he said.
In response, the Pakistani authorities have mentioned that Pakistan acts against all forms of terrorism and there is no infiltration from their side of the LoC, the minister said.
The “government, has therefore, presented necessary information and evidence to Pakistan government through diplomatic channels and stressed the need for Pakistan to stop all cross-border terrorism aimed against India emanating from territories under its control,” Singh said. (PTI)
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