Diplomats followed, social media accounts attacked: India complains to Pakistan

Jan 14 (AZINS) India has complained to the Pakistan government over the harassment of its diplomats posted in Islamabad. On Monday, the Indian High Commission in the Pakistani capital wrote to the government over attempts that have been made to hack into the social media accounts of senior Indian officials. It has also raised the not-so-secret surveillance being carried out against senior diplomats.

In a letter to the Pakistan government, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad alleged that the social media accounts of its senior officials were under hack attack, news agency ANI reported. It also raised issue over surveillance, saying the Indian High Commission and Deputy High Commissioner had been closely followed and aggressively watched by Pakistani security officials when they attended a recent wedding in Islamabad.

The Indian High Commission's formal letter comes amid heightened tensions between the fraternal rivals, with both sides accusing each other of poor treatment of officials posted in the either country.

Indian officials posted in Pakistan have been targeted repeatedly over the past month, starting with the attempted break-in at the residence of an Indian diplomat in December 10. Then on December 21, a delegation of Indian officials visiting Peshawar had been stopped by the side of the road and questioned for 30 minutes despite offers of cooperation in their hotel.

On December 31, it was reported that the power supply had been cut to the residence of the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. Other instances of harassment of Indian officials have been smaller by problematic instances like no gas connection in new residences, hostile questioning of guests at receptions and internet being cut. WION was the first to report on the Indian diplomats being harassed in Pakistan earlier this month.

On the other side of the border, a Pakistani High Commission official was taken to the police station in New Delhi, after he got into an altercation with a woman at a market. The woman had filed a police complaint against him. He was allowed to go after he had tendered an unconditional apology to the woman on Sunday.