Islamabad: Two officials of the Indian High Commission were released Monday. It came hours after the Pakistani police arrested them for their alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident here. Police released the two Indians 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 High Commision, 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 8.00am, ‘Geo News’ reported.
The pedestrian was critically injured and shifted to a hospital for treatment. The car was stopped by a large number 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, ‘Geo News’.
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 in the say, 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 here.
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 here 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 in New Delhi 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.
