*ISLAMABAD – The Netherlands said Monday it has pulled several embassystaff members from Pakistan over persistent threats from religious groupsangry over tweets by the far-right politician Geert Wilders.*
Although the Dutch embassy in Islamabad remains open and visa requests arestill being handled, “a whole number of people” have returned to theNetherlands, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said.
“Unfortunately Dutch citizens are being threatened, Dutch diplomats,” Bloktold a news programme on the NPO public broadcaster’s Radio 1 channel.
“That is serious enough already” for the step to be taken, said Blok,adding that he had spoken with his Pakistani counterpart Shah MehmoodQureshi about the issue.
Blok did not specify how many embassy staff were affected by the move.
Last week, the Pakistani lawyer, who represented Aasia Bibi, a womanacquitted of blasphemy from death row, fled to the Netherlands.
The Dutch gave Saif-ul-Malook a temporary stay after he fled Islamabad whenviolence erupted following the Pakistani Supreme Court’s historic decisionto acquit her.
Thousands of protesters poured on to the streets in protest, calling forher death after Supreme Court judges overturned the conviction. – APP/AFP