February 1, 2003	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 28, 1423

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NEW DELHI, Jan 31: Pakistani officials said on Friday that Indian sleuths, who had periodically indulged in aggressive surveillance of their diplomats in New Delhi in recent days, had eased off considerably after a formal protest last week.

A Pakistan official told Dawn on condition of anonymity that Indian sleuths after a brief relaxation had again intensified their aggressive tailgating of Acting High Commissioner Jalil Abbas Jilani and Defence Adviser Brigadier Mohammed Akram Sahi on Friday.

“So we sent a note verbale to the ministry of external affairs,” a senior diplomat said. “Since then the situation has eased although it is still not hundred per cent as it should be for the head of the mission.”

Asked if Pakistani sleuths were responding by tracking Indian diplomats in Islamabad, an official said had the Indians were being aggressively followed there would have been a protest from them.

“We believe our relations are being held hostage to the compulsions of India’s domestic politics,” the diplomat said.

Pakistan peace activist Dr Mubashir Hasan had complained in New Delhi this week that both governments had become adamant at not yielding any diplomatic or political overtures to break the ice.

Pakistan officials, however, insisted that Islamabad had done more than its share to seek talks with India, but New Delhi looked the other way.

“We had agreed in Agra to discuss every issue, including terrorism,” a diplomat said. “But India doesn’t seem interested in discussing even that favourite subject at present.”

Relations between the two countries had chilled further recently when both countries expelled four officials a piece from their capitals in a tit-for-tat retaliation for alleged harassment of their officials.