Islamabad: Two officials of the Indian High Commission were released on Monday hours after the Pakistani police arrested them for their alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident here, media reports said.
Police released the two Indian officials after the Foreign Office informed the authorities that they had diplomatic immunity, ‘ARY TV’ reported.
They were handed over to an official of the Indian mission, it said.
The two officials were arrested after a BMW car hit a pedestrian who was walking on the city’s Embassy Road at around 8am, ‘Geo News’ reported, quoting some eyewitnesses.
The pedestrian was critically injured and shifted to a hospital for treatment. The car was stopped by a huge crowd of people who handed over its two occupants to police, it said.
After they were arrested, police discovered that the two persons were officials of the Indian High Commission, it said.
The ‘Express Tribune’ newspaper identified the two Indian officials as Silvades Paul and Dawamu Brahamu.
There was no official confirmation about arrest and release of the two officials.
Earlier on Monday, India summoned the Pakistan charge d’affaires in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest to him over the reported arrest of two officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Accidents involving vehicles belonging to diplomatic missions have been frequent in recent years, Pakistani media reports said.
Earlier this year, a SUV belonging to the US Embassy drove into a car on a main artery of Islamabad, killing a woman and injuring five members of her family. The police arrested the Pakistani driver of the US Embassy and registered a case against him.
Monday’s incident comes two weeks after India expelled two Pakistan High Commission officials here on charges of espionage. India had declared Abid Hussain and Muhammad Tahir as ‘persona non grata’ after they were found obtaining sensitive documents relating to movement of Indian Army troops from an Indian national, according to authorities here.
“Following their expulsion, Pakistani agencies started harassing a number of Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad including charge d’affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia.”
Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic ties by expelling the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad following India’s decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.
