ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has called back its high commissioner in India to discuss the incidents of harassment of its diplomats and their families in New Delhi, Muhammad Faisal, the spokesman of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
The spokesperson, in a weekly press briefing, highlighted the harassment of Pakistani diplomats in India and said "Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, has been called back from New Delhi by the federal government for a consultation related to harassment cases with Pakistani diplomats."
"As the Indian government did not take any steps to safeguard the Pakistani diplomats and their families in India, the Pakistani government has also lodged protests over the matter with the Indian deputy high commissioner as well as India's External Affairs Ministry," said the spokesperson.
Separately, Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on Tuesday to protest against the "maltreatment being meted out to the officials and families of Pakistan High Commission."
Faisal said photographs identifying individuals involved in the harassments had been submitted to the Indian External Affairs Ministry, but no actions were taken.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the officers, staff and more regrettably the families and children of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi continue to face intense harassment, intimidation and outright violence.
The ministry said the harassments are "not confined to a single isolated event, but continues unabated in a series of incidents."
Faisal said unknown persons illegally stop cars in which Pakistani diplomats' family were on board on their way back from school and the harassers filmed and threatened them, including children.
Faisal termed continuous occurrence of the harassments as a failure of Indian authorities, saying that "under the Vienna Convention, the safety and security of Pakistani diplomats and their families is the responsibility of the Indian government."
Meanwhile, India on Thursday described Pakistan's move to call back its envoy from New Delhi as a "routine."
"He has been called back for consultation. It is pretty normal for an ambassador, High Commissioner in any country to brief its foreign office. It is pretty routine in nature," foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a press conference in New Delhi.
