International

Threat forces closure of U.K. mission in Pakistan

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 5. The British High Commission here has been shut down temporarily and the United States embassy has cancelled the scheduled reception to mark American Independence Day today, following a `security threat'. The nature of the threat was not disclosed.

After 9/11, several western embassies have been taking extraordinary precautions to guard their missions against any threat from forces opposed to cooperation with the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism.

Following a blast in a church in the diplomatic enclave in March 2002, which resulted in the death of the wife of a diplomat, the American and British missions have declared Islamabad a `non-family' station.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Masood Khan, who confirmed the reports of security threat at the weekly briefing, however, declined to give any details. "There is no cause for worry. All precautions have been taken and the missions have been provided with additional security," he said.

Asked about the significance of the mention of United Nations Charter in the joint statement issued at the end of the talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan last week, Mr. Khan said no special meanings should be read into it.

Mr. Khan argued that India and Pakistan were both members of the United Nations and the reference in the joint statement was aimed at reiteration of the commitment to U.N. principles. He said the U.N. Charter figured in the 1972 Simla Agreement too.

"Besides the U.N. Charter, the joint statement also talks about the Simla Agreement. India and Pakistan are members of the U.N. and, therefore, invocation of the U.N. Charter does not alter anything or does not add much to what we have been doing in the recent past," he maintained.

Answering another question, he said that the fencing of the Line of Control by India was unjustified but that would not alter LoC's status.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu