Pak High commissioner called for consultations; it is normal: MEA

The Pakistan High Commissioner was called for consultations and it is “normal”, the external affairs ministry on Thursday said after the neighbouring country decided to call back its envoy to Islamabad. We are looking into issues raised by Pakistan High Commission here, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters. Upping the ante, Pakistan today said it has decided to call back its high commissioner in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidence of “harassment” of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi. “The Pakistan High Commissioner has been called for consultations and it is normal,” Kumar said. Noting that our high commission in Islamabad is facing a “litany of issues”, he said that “we have taken them up through established mechanism”. “We want Pakistan to resolve the issues being faced by our staff and ensure their safety,” he said. Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Faisal said that the Indian government failed to take notice of the increasing incidents of intimidation of Pakistani diplomats, their families and staffers by its intelligence agencies. On Tuesday, the Foreign Office had summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh over the alleged harassment of its officials and their families in New Delhi. The Pakistan Foreign Ministry claimed that the staff and their families have been facing “harassment, intimidation and outright violence” from Indian state agencies in recent weeks.