The Hindu : Indian mission staffer assaulted in Pakistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 20, 2002

Front Page

Front Page

Indian mission staffer assaulted in Pakistan

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD APRIL 19. In what is seen as a retaliatory action, Pakistan today held A. K. Khanna, an official in the Indian High Commission here, on charges of espionage in collusion with a Pakistani in the Federal Secretariat and released him after eight hours of ``interrogation.''

The Charge D' Affaires of the Indian High Commission, Sudhir Vyas, dismissed the charges as ``bizarre'' and asserted that Mr. Khanna was abducted in broad daylight right outside his residence as he was about to board the mission coach to go to work.

``Mr. Khanna was abducted by a dozen personnel of the Pakistani Intelligence agencies around 8.45 a.m. and whisked away to an unknown place. There was no response from any of the official quarters to umpteen demarches here and in New Delhi on the whereabouts of the official. The mission could locate him only when we got a telephone call from the police station in the diplomatic enclave at 5 p.m.,'' Mr. Vyas said.

Mr. Khanna's arrest came 48 hours after a member of the Pakistan High Commission was caught in Delhi for allegedly receiving ``sensitive documents'' from an employee of the Indian Air Force. New Delhi has since declared the Pakistan mission staffer a persona non grata and asked for his withdrawal within a week. It is only a matter of routine before Pakistan follows suit.

The ordeal of Mr. Khanna began the moment he stepped out of his apartment at Royal Enclave, where a majority of the Indian mission staffers reside. The enclave is near the church where five persons, including two Americans, were killed in a grenade attack on March 17.

As per the account given by the other Indian staffers in the enclave, at least a dozen persons dressed in "Pathan suits" were waiting in the garage when the vehicle came to pick up Mr. Khanna around 8.45 a.m. To the horror of three Indian mission staffers in the coach, the operatives of the Pakistani agency leapt out and tried to grab Mr. Khanna as he came down from his second floor apartment.

After a scuffle, Mr. Khanna was taken in a vehicle to an undisclosed place. "My face was masked and I was taken to a room somewhere in the vicinity. I was beaten up repeatedly and made to sign a declaration that I worked for RAW. They interrogated me about the functioning of the mission and told me that it was a retaliation to what happened in Delhi earlier in the week. Only around 3 p.m., I was taken to a police station.''

The Indian mission doctor, Quereshi, who examined Mr. Khanna at the police station, said that besides bruises and abrasions, "Mr. Khanna's ankle joint suffered a major injury and there are cuts in and around the mouth.''

When the Indian mission wanted to know from the police station in-charge why he did not inform them about the presence of Mr. Khanna, he reportedly told them that the station could not trace the telephone number of the mission. A senior diplomat complained that no one from the Foreign Office was present when Mr. Khanna was handed over.

An official statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office said "an official of the Indian High Commission, A. K. Khanna, was today caught red-handed receiving sensitive documents from a Pakistan national working at the Federal Secretariat.

``The Secretariat Police arrested the Indian High Commission official and his Pakistani accomplice at nine o' clock this morning near the diplomatic enclave. Mr. Khanna was handed over to the Indian High Commission after questioning. Mr. Khanna's Pakistani accomplice will be tried under the relevant laws.''

Asked for his reaction to the statement, Mr. Vyas said: "We would follow the evolution of this case very carefully and would be interested in knowing the action against the alleged Pakistani accomplice... it is unfortunate that a joke is made out of a serious violation related to a diplomatic official accredited to the country.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Decision left to Dy. Speaker as deadlock continues

Indian mission staffer assaulted in Pakistan

More minority students appear for exams

SC: Why not supplementary exams?

SC quashes gift of land to Bhondsi ashram

`Jayalalithaa did not make the demand'

Israel pulling out of Jenin

Geelani under house arrest

Sanjay can go abroad

'Milan crash a suicide'

Vessel rescued