Pak. deplores expulsion

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 25. Pakistan today deplored the decision of India to seek withdrawal of Mr. Malik Muhammad Rafique, an official of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, on what it termed as `baseless charges'.

A Foreign Office statement here called upon India to respect its obligations under international law for the treatment of the personnel of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

``In the last five years, India has expelled 16 officials of the Pakistan High Commission on fabricated charges. In the same period, there have been 80 incidents of harassment, kidnapping, beating, trespass of residence and vandalising of property of the officials serving in the High Commission in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and of the Code of Conduct for Treatment of Diplomatic Personnel in Pakistan and India signed by the two countries in 1992,'' the statement said.

The statement was contrary to expectations that Islamabad would retaliate by expelling a staff member in the Indian High Commissioner here. This has mostly been the pattern followed both by India and Pakistan in the past.

The Pakistani Urdu daily, Jang, reported in its columns this morning quoting diplomatic sources that Pakistan would expel at least one Indian official. The paper said action would be taken against an unnamed official ``though various Indian diplomats and officials have been involved in improper activities''.

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Section  : International
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