Abducted official released

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 9. The Indian High Commission official, who was expelled four days ago and picked up by unidentified persons on Thursday night, was released in the early hours of Friday after three hours of alleged physical and mental torture.

The Indian High Commission has pointed fingers at the Pakistan intelligence agency personnel for the episode but there was no response from the Pakistan Foreign Office to the protest note delivered at 11.30 p.m. on Thursday.

Mr. Gupta told Indian journalists that the men who abducted him put a mask on his face and took him to some unknown destination. ``For three hours, I was kicked and slapped by them. They wanted to know some details about the functioning of the Indian mission and repeatedly told me that such incidents would occur every time a member of the Pakistan mission is touched by the Indians in New Delhi.''

The reference by the unidentified men was perhaps to the detention of a member of the Pakistan High Commission staffer last week on charges of espionage. He was subsequently asked to leave India. Pakistan alleged that the staffer was kept in custody for six hours and tortured.

According to the High Commission, Mr. Gupta was so badly beaten up that he had to be taken to a hospital for treatment late in the night. ``The incident is apparently a retaliation to the action taken in India against a staff member of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi on being caught red- handed while indulging in espionage activity. This is the first time that a staff member has received such crude and unacceptable treatment after being declared persona non grata,'' a senior officer in the mission said.

The incident also came close on the heels of a case of intimidation and harassment of Mr. P. Ravindranathan, a mission officer, earlier in the morning by unidentified persons, when he was travelling from Islamabad to Lahore en route Delhi on a private visit.

The mission said a person sitting next to Mr. Ravindranathan who identified himself as an ISI functionary demanded that he be shown the contests of the bag the officer was carrying.

``On his refusal, the functionary forcibly opened the bag, drew out cash amounting to $2000 and pocketed the amount. When Mr. Ravindranathan threatened to report his behaviour to the police and to the High Commission, he returned the money but then threatened him with dire consequences if he returned to Pakistan.''

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