Two officials of the Indian High Commission, who were allegedly abducted and tortured by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) last week, are returning through the Attari-Wagah border on Monday. The two have reached the India-Pakistan border to return to their country and will be taken to New Delhi upon their arrival.
Two Indian officials of Indian High Commission in #Pakistan who were allegedly #abducted and #tortured by #PakistanISI on 15 June, return to India through #wagahborder. The two have returned for a brief time.@SputnikInt pic.twitter.com/sJY26rjSRB
— Shweta Sharma (@Ss22Shweta) June 22, 2020
Sindh Police had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Dwimu Brahma and Paul Selvadhas in Islamabad while accusing them of careless driving in which a pedestrian was seriously injured after being hit by their BMW. They were also accused of carrying fake currency.
However, the Indian Foreign Ministry has dismissed the accusations, stating that the officials were "video-graphed and coerced to accept a litany of fictitious allegations and concocted charges".
The two officials were later released by the authorities in Pakistan.
India summoned the charge d’affaires of the High Commission of Pakistan, Haider Shah, to lodge a protest over the alleged abduction and torture.
"They were released only after strong intervention by the High Commission of India in Islamabad and the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. The two Indian officials were subjected to interrogation, torture and physical assault resulting in grievous injuries to them", the ministryhad said.
The incident comes weeks after two Pakistani officials at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were apprehended by Indian law enforcement authorities on suspicion of espionage activities and declared persona non grata. They were asked to leave the country on 31 May.