M A I N   N E W S

Indo-Pak diplomatic relations tense again
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 9
Indo-Pak diplomatic tensions touched a new high today when Pakistan High Commissioner Jehangir Qazi was summoned to the Foreign Office and conveyed New Delhi’s strong protest against beating up and harassment of two officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad yesterday. Secretary (West) R.S.Kalha, in whose office in South Block Mr Qazi was summoned, condemned the incidents of forcible abduction, harassment and assault of two Indian mission officials in Islamabad and the members of their family.

According to a Foreign Office spokesperson here, the Pakistani High Commissioner was told that Islamabad had been repeatedly transgressing its obligations and commitments to the treatment of diplomatic personnel under international and bilateral agreements.

Two FIRs have already been lodged by India in Pakistan with regard to the attacks on the two staffers of the Indian mission in Islamabad — Mr Devendra Kumar Gupta and Mr P. Ravindranathan. The incident involving Mr Ravindranathan is particularly gory.

Mr Ravindranathan, who was returning home along with his wife by taxi from a shopping complex in Islamabad last night, was intercepted by at least eight Pakistani intelligence operatives. The couple was dragged out of the vehicle, the wife was gagged, manhandled and dragged to one side, while Mr Ravindranathan was whisked away to an unknown destination He was released in the morning but in a bruised and battered state.

He sustained internal injuries and even his vision has been blurred. This is second such incident involving Mr Ravindranathan since 1999.

Pak troops open fire on border, India retaliates
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 9
Even as the Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, is keen to hold talks with Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Pakistan troops resorted to mortar shelling and firing from heavy-calibre weapons on Indian posts and pickets in the Pallanwala sector during the past 12 hours.

Official sources said that the Indian troops retaliated effectively and damaged some of the bunkers across Pallanwala in the Akhnoor sector. The sources said that the Pakistan troops resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing from their Mandiala post across India’s Khariyal post in Pallanwala.

There was neither any casualty on the Indian side nor any damage in “our posts or pickets”.