India accuses Pakistan of harassing diplomats; houses were raided, power was cut

India on Sunday accused Pakistan of harassing its diplomats posted in Islamabad by raiding their houses and severing the electricity connection that was not restored for two weeks.

"India's residential complex in Islamabad was raided by Pakistan agencies who expelled all Pakistani service providers and later disconnected power and water supply. Despite the (Pakistan) foreign secretary's assurance, the power supply was not restored for over two weeks," sources said.

More troubling is the fact that over the last few months, several High Commission staff were harassed and intimidated. In one case, an official's home was broken into and laptop stolen.

Sources said harassment was the new normal for Indian High Commission personnel in Islamabad. Even the High Commissioner's car was recently stopped by Pakistan intelligence agencies in the middle of a busy road to prevent him from attending an event.

Because of the multiple harassment that Indian diplomats faced, Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria met Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua last month to lodge a strong protest.

"Aggressive surveillance, violation of physical space and tailing of officers in close and dangerous proximity is a perennial issue (for Indian diplomats). (Pakistan) Agency personnel keep shooting videos of the officers, thrusting phones on their faces. Obscene phone calls and messages are constantly received on phones," sources said, narrating the experiences of many Indian diplomats.

Because of such an atmosphere of intimidation, most families of Indian diplomats returned to India and children were withdrawn from Pakistan schools.

Sources said Pakistan High Commission, too, made complaints of harassment by Indian agencies against Pakistan diplomats. While the complaints were being looked into, Pakistan establishment shared the information to the media, creating sensation unlike Indian diplomats who tackled such issues through diplomacy.