India summons Pak Charg‚ D’affaires on ‘missing’ of Indian officials

New Delhi: Concerned over the ‘missing’ of two Indian officials in Pakistan, India on Monday urged Islamabad to ensure “return” of the two officials along with the official car to the High Commission immediately.

Sources said Pakistan Chargé D’affaires in New Delhi Syed Hyder Shah was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and demarched on the “reported arrest of two officials” of the High Commission of India in Islamabad as reported in the Pakistani media.

“The demarche to the Pakistan CDA made clear that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials. The responsibility for the safety and security of the concerned diplomatic personnel lay squarely with the Pakistani authorities,” the source said.

The two officials have been missing since they left for official work in the morning, reports said adding no contact has been established with the duo so far.

Recently, India had asked two Pakistani officials to leave the country after they were caught spying. When two junior staff members of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad went out in a vehicle, however, they did not reach their destination. The matter was subsequently taken up by the Indian Embassy in Islamabad with authorities in Pakistan, sources said.

On May 31, India had expelled two officials of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi. An official announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs said both were apprehended by Indian law enforcement authorities for indulging in espionage activities.

Sources have said the ‘ISI-spy racket; involved trapping middle ranking government officials in India with money and also using ‘honey traps and social media accounts’.

The Government of India had declared both these Pakistani officials persona non grata.