2 Indian High Commission officials detained in Islamabad after being involved in road accident

Published June 15, 2020
The Foreign Office has yet to issue a statement. — APP/File
The Foreign Office has yet to issue a statement. — APP/File

Two officials of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan were handed over to the police on Monday after being involved in a car accident in Islamabad, it emerged on Monday.

According to a letter by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the staffers were identified as Dwimu Brahma and Paul Selvadhas and had arrived in the country in 2017. From the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the two officials are non-diplomats.

According to the FIR registered at the Secretariat Police Station, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the two officials ran over a pedestrian and subsequently attempted to flee. The FIR also stated that counterfeit currency notes were found in the possession of one of the officials.

The Foreign Office has yet to issue a statement.

The news comes after Indian media started reporting that two High Commission officials had "gone missing" in Islamabad.

According to Times of India, the employees had gone out for "official work", adding that the matter had been taken up with the Pakistani authorities. Journalist Geeta Mohan tweeted that India's Ministry of External Affairs had summoned Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires Syed Haider Shah over the matter.

Indian media outlets implied that the detention of the two officials was a "reciprocal action" by Islamabad.

Earlier this month, India had expelled two officials of the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi accusing them of espionage — a charge, which was immediately rejected by Pakistan as “false and unsubstantiated”.

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