India summons Pakistan envoy

India summoned the Pakistan charge d'Affaires in New Delhi yesterday and lodged a strong protest with him against the reported arrest of two officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

According to the Pakistani media, two unidentified Indian High Commission staffers in Islamabad, who went missing this morning, were arrested by Pakistani authorities for their alleged involvement in a "hit-and-run accident".

Official sources in New Delhi said the Pakistan charge d'Affaires was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and a demarche (protest in diplomatic parlance) was handed over to him over the reported arrest of the two officials.

The demarche made it clear that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials and the responsibility for their safety and security lay squarely with the Pakistani authorities, the sources said. Pakistan was also asked to return the officials immediately.

The incident comes two weeks after India expelled two Pakistan High Commission officials for espionage.

Following their expulsion, Pakistani agencies started harassing a number of Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad including Charge d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia. Ahluwalia's car was aggressively tailed by Pakistani agencies on at least two occasions following which India lodged a strong protest with the Pakistan Foreign Office.

Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India by expelling the Indian High Commissioner following New Delhi's decision to withdraw special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.