NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan expelled a diplomat each from each other’s missions last week, just weeks after a similar exchange led to four diplomats packing their bags.
India has now expelled Javiad Ahmed, first secretary in the Pakistan High Commission here, for indulging in activities incompatible with his status as a diplomat. The move came in swift retaliation of Pakistan’s expulsion of J.J.Singh, counsel at India’s mission in Karachi. ‘The Indian decision was conveyed to Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner, after being summoned by M.K.Bhadrakumar, Joint Secretary heading the External Affairs Ministry division which deals with relations with Pakistan, Riaz Khokhar, the Pakistani High Commissioner, happens to be on a visit home.
Javiad Ahmed has spent a little over three years in Delhi, a longer tenure than most in the current group of diplomats at the Pakistan High Commission. He has been asked to leave the country within a week. The developments were swill. There was no inking of the move by cither sides at the routine Foreign Office briefing in the evening.
Both diplomats were expelled by the ‘host’ governments. A few hours later Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Karachi based diplomat. E.A.Alexander and India sent home Nasir Uddin Ahmed, a first secretary.
India lodged a strong protest over the illegal detention of Chauhan for over six hours and the “brutal torture” by Pakistani security men, Pakistani however, claimed Bajwa had been beaten up, but the Foreign Office denied the allegation, screening a Video showing Bajwa in apparently good shape.
Last week’s expulsions come as the two countries are flexing their muscles in the International arena. Islamabad has declared its intention to noise One Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly session which opens next month, and some precession developments have charged the atmosphere further.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 9, 1994
