India has lodged a complaint with the Pakistani authorities regarding the two Indian diplomats who were allegedly locked up and harassed at Gurudwara near Lahore, Pakistan on April 17.
Reportedly, Indian authorities submitted a demarche to Pakistan’s Foreign Office recently. The demarche raised concerns about the security of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. A separate note verbal was also sent to the Pakistan authorities on April 25, regarding the harassment meted out at the two Indian diplomats on the April 17.
The two Indian diplomats had gone to the Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Sahib in Farooqabad near Lahore for doing consular work in order to facilitate the travel of Sikh pilgrims. 15 Pakistani intelligence officers reportedly misbehaved with the diplomats. They were locked in a room, their bags were searched and they were being questioned.
There have been several incidents in the past where Indian diplomats have been harassed while trying to facilitate the travel of Sikh pilgrims to the several gurudwaras in the Punjab province. Pro-Khalistani groups have also reportedly confronted the Indian pilgrims.
India had raised the issue of harassment of its diplomats in March as well. Following the Pulwama attacks and the subsequent Balakot air strikes, at least 6 incidents of harassment of India’s Naval advisor in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Captain Peter Varghese, was reported by the mission to Pakistan government.
India has also previously complained about the deliberate power cuts during the harsh winters in Pakistan. In November, just a day after India decided to develop and build the Kartarpur corridor, Indian diplomats were blocked from meeting the Sikh pilgrims at Gurudwara Sacha Sauda and Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.
