ISLAMABAD – A demarche was made to the Indian High Commission in Islamabadand external affairs ministry in Delhi over the harassment of Pakistanidiplomatic staff in New Delhi, a diplomatic source revealed.

“It is becoming difficult for the Pakistani diplomats posted in India tokeep their families with them due to increase in harassment incidents,” thesource said.

It has become difficult for Pakistan embassy staff to keep their familiesthere, reads a demarche made to Indian high commission

Harassment of families would not be tolerated at all, he maintained.

He pointed to the incidents over the past three days in which the childrenof Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner were stopped and harassed on theirway to school. In another incident a senior diplomat was harassed whilemoving in Delhi.

The source said diplomatic vehicles were being stopped on differentpretexts and searched. Members of diplomatic staff are also abused inpublic and a number of accidents of vehicles have happened.

Indian employees of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, he said,were also being stopped from coming to work.

Relations between Pakistan and India have historically been tense, and thetensions aggravated under the BJP government.

Frequent ceasefire violations have been reported on the Line of Control andWorking Boundary by India; in fact the highest number of breaches tookplace last year since the 2003 ceasefire accord took effect leaving 87people dead.