India has downgraded Pakistan to a ‘no-school going mission’ for its diplomats and asked its staff in the High Commission in Islamabad to withdraw their children from Pakistan schools from this academic session and make arrangement for their study outside the country.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the move is based on prevailing security situation in Pakistan and potential threat to the children of Indian staff members in Pakistan schools.
“It is a normal practice for all countries to review staffing and related policies for their diplomatic missions, including in view of prevailing circumstances at those stations. With effect from this academic session, officials posted in the High Commission of India in Islamabad have been advised to make arrangements for education of their wards outside Pakistan, till further notice,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Monday.
It is understood that the decision in this regard was taken in June 2015 as part of the Government’s normal assessment of working conditions in each Indian Mission /Posts. The Indian Embassy employees in Islamabad were told last year itself to permit sufficient time for affected staff members to make alternative arrangements for the continuing education of their children. Sources said Pakistan was told about it last year itself.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nafees Zakari said in Islamabad that “this is an informal, internal and administrative arrangement” they were communicated two months back. “No other considerations were communicated to us,” he said.
Pakistan witnessed gory attacks on schoolchildren in December 2014 when gunmen attacked Army Public School in Peshawar killing 141.
According to officials, there are about 50 school-going children of Indian officials, who are currently posted in Indian mission in Islamabad. This development amounts to “downgrade” of Pakistan as a “non-school-going station”, an
official said.
India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Burhan Wani’s killing on July 8. Wani was a wanted terrorist commander of the banned terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.
Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that “Kashmir will one day become Pakistan”, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the State becoming a part of his country “will not be realised even at the end of eternity”.