India-Pakistan relations hit new low amid harassment claims

In this file photo, Pakistani rangers stand near the Indian, right, and Pakistani national flags during an annual fair near Pakistan border in Chamliyal, 45 km (28 miles) west of Jammu, June 26, 2008. (REUTERS)

NEW DELHI: A recent spate of allegations of harassment by India and Pakistan of their respective diplomats reflects the state of relations between the nuclear-armed rivals, experts said Friday.
In the last few weeks, the geopolitical foes — who have fought three wars since Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, and still trade fire across a de facto border in disputed Kashmir — have complained of their diplomats being harassed by the security agencies of the other nation.
The complaints include allegations of ringing doorbells at 3 a.m., diplomats being tailed by security services, confrontations with unknown men who filmed the encounters, and harassment of the children of a senior diplomat on their way to school.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Faisal said New Delhi has failed to take notice of the increasing incidents of intimidation, the Press Trust of India reported.
Similarly, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad reportedly complained that harassment had become the “new normal” for its personnel.
Harassment of diplomats by the security agents of the adversarial country is “assumed and expected,” said Sharad Joshi, assistant professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California.
“It’s almost a way for the security agents to let off some steam… but it has been a while since it made it to the front pages of newspapers.”
The alleged tit-for-tat provocation reflects a broader deterioration in bilateral relations, which have been in decline since 2007, experts said.
“States do resort to these things to vent out their sense of dissatisfaction,” said Ashok Behuria, a senior fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyzes in New Delhi.
“But this is a reflection of the unpleasant state of the relationship between the two countries. It shows a complete lack of communication at the political and diplomatic levels, and that has led to the enhancement of mutual suspicion between the two nations.”
Such incidents, Behuria said, are “likely to have a temporary effect on the broad relationship between the two countries, but not a complete break.”
Bilateral relations are mired in suspicion: India accuses Pakistan of not wanting constructive dialogue and of cross-border attacks, while Islamabad alleges that New Delhi interferes in its internal matters and commits human rights abuses in Kashmir.
The latest accusations came within days of Pakistan agreeing to the Indian foreign minister’s request to exchange three categories of prisoners: Women, disabled prisoners with special needs, and elderly inmates above 70 years.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, told the Indian Express that “the current approach and methods only militate against (goodwill) efforts, while holding no prospect of advancing any particular objective. A re-think is in order.” He has since been called back by Islamabad for consultations over the alleged incidents.
“Perceptions condition the behavior of the states,” said Behuria. “In my estimate, things will come back to normal.”