NEW DELHI: The newly-appointed Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Hussain Khokhar has accused the Government of India of “brutally murdering” two Pakistani nationals whom he claimed were innocent businessmen.
Speaking in his first interview to an Indian publication the High Commissioner used harsh words to describe the killing of the Pakistani nationals by security forces in Punjab last month. He seemed particularly incensed that the bodies of the two slain Pakistanis had not been reeked:”Okay you have killed two people. But what is the harm in returning the bodies. All we want to do is give them a decent burial.” Khokhar said “people in Pakistan were very concerned and upset that these two people have been murdered. These are the things that derail (our relationship).”
The High Commissioner denied that the two Pakistani nationals were shot while helping Sikh militants in Punjab. “They were killed in what we call fake encounters. They were not terrorists but just innocent businessmen” he claimed.
“Why is the Government of India so hesitant in handing over the bodies. Obviously there is something else which the Government here wants to hide. So we are quite positive that they did not die in the way it has been described” Khokhar asserted.
According to the High Commissioner the incident has had a “very bad effects in Pakistan People are actually asking if whether it was safe to travel to point A or point B in India. We are very cautious and do not want to create panic but I can tell you that the concern back home is very very serious.”
Khokhar also indicated that the controversy over the death of the two Pakistani nationals could mean a set-back to bilateral trade. “People talk about business with India. Just imagine the sentiments of the business community in Pakistan! Do they really want to trade with India?” he asked.
The High Commissioner claimed that the controversy “is not something stage managed but something the Government is manipulating.” He said that there was a lot of popular pressure on his Government.
“Somebody is dead somebody is sympathizing The newspapers are full of it. This could have a Snow balling effect” Khokhar warned.
Asked to comment on the Pakistan High Commissioners strident charges Foreign Secretary JN. Dixit asked: “Can anybody explain what those two Pakistanis were doing in Punjab in the first place?”
Dixit also denied that the bodies of the two Pakistani nationals were not returned because the Government had anything to hide. “It is normal policy for security forces not to hand over the bodies of certain categories of criminals and militants killed in encounters” he explained
Article extracted from this publication >> November 27, 1992
