Britain recalls attache over ‘inappropriate relationship’
By Arshad Sharif & Syed Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: The British government recalled its military attache from the British High Commission (BHC) in Islamabad a couple of months ago after an internal investigation found his behaviour ‘inappropriate with his status and position’, officials told Dawn here on Wednesday.
A spokesman of the British High Commission confirmed that Brigadier Andrew Durcan had been sent back and his replacement had already assumed charge.
A number of diplomats at the Indonesian National Day reception on Wednesday told Dawn that Brig Durcan had gone back to the United Kingdom about six months ago and Brigadier Vine had been working as the military attache for about a month.
The spokesman of the high commission declined to say when Brig Durcan was sent back but confirmed that a new military attache was already in place at the mission.
Replying to a question, the spokesman said that Brig Durcan was recalled by the British Ministry of Defence after he “lost the confidence of the British High Commission”.
He added that the military attache was sent back after an internal investigation.
The diplomatic sources said Brig Durcan was suffering from heart ailment and a problematic leg when he was asked to report back to the UK.
However, according to British media reports, the officer had an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a Pakistani female ‘defence academic’.
According to a report in The Sun, Mr Durcan, 56, had been “tricked into a close friendship by the attractive woman.”
The tabloid described the woman as a ‘defence academic’ who was “also believed to be an undercover agent for rogue elements within Pakistan’s intelligence services”.
Senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials did not disclose the identity of the “defence academic”.
Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan refused to comment on the report.
“I can’t comment on this because it is related to the British High Commission and people from the commission can give better information,” the ISPR chief said.
He said the Ministry of Interior could also be contacted to comment on the alleged Pakistani woman spy who had been accused of having developed relations with the diplomat.
When contacted, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said although he had heard the news about the removal of the attache from some unofficial channels, he could not confirm it.
The minister said that according to his information the defence attache to the UK mission had been sent back from Peshawar.
Mr Sherpao said he knew nothing about the lady who was accused of having “inappropriate relations” with the military attache.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the official spokesman of the government, said he had not heard anything about the removal of the attache.
“It is not in my knowledge, may be the Foreign Office is in a position to comment on the issue,” he added.
