18 May 2002
PAK HIGH COMMISSIONER TOLD TO
LEAVE INDIA
From Jal Khambata
NEW
DELHI: India began the diplomatic crackdown on Pakistan with the
first shot fired at its High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi by
asking the Pak High Commission that he is persona non grata and
should leave Delhi within a week. Pakistan's continuous support to
cross-border terrorism was cited as the reason for giving the
marching orders to Qazi with whom India had stopped dealing ever
since December 13 terrorist strike on the Indian Parliament
house.
The Vajpayee Government had recalled Vijay Nambiar, the
Indian High Commissioner from Islamabad as one of the multiple steps
taken after the December 13 terrorist strike and had been dealing
with only Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Jallel Abbas Jilani who
was called to the External Affairs Ministry and conveyed the
Government's decision that Qazi should return to Pakistan..
While
Pakistan had reciprocated to the multiple steps taken by India last
December, Qazi had continued to head the Pakistan High Commission
here and he as well as his two daughters could be seen attending the
elite meetings in clubs and five-star hotels. He had no official
business in India and hence he should better return to Pakistan, the
External Affairs Ministry conveyed to the Deputy High Commission on
Saturday.
The decision to order Qazi's exit from Delhi was
taken by the 2-hour long Cabinet Committee on Security held Saturday
morning under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
to review the latest situation of the border skirmishes that are
going on since after the terrorist attack near Jammu killing 22
people on Tuesday.
Besides the CCS members, the meeting was also attended by National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, Cabinet Secretary T R Prasad and Chiefs of three services, Gen S Padmanabhan, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy and Admiral Madhvendra Singh. Earlier, the Prime Minister paid a visit to the Operation Room in he Army Headquarters where the Defence Minister, Army chief and Air chief briefed him for some 45 minutes about the situation on the border.
India accused Pakistan on Saturday of continuing to aid and abet
cross-border terrorism and infiltration of terrorists in Jammu and
Kashmir and other parts of the country, compelling it to give the
marching orders to Qazi.
Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner
Jilani was conveyed India's decision that Qazi should "return to
Islamabad within a week" by External Affairs Joint Secretary
Arun Singh soon after the CCS felt Qazi should leave for the sake of
"parity" as India had already recalled its High
Commissioner from Islamabad since after December 13 attack on the
Parliament House.
"This is a significant step and
Government of India has, after a detailed examination of the
situation, decided on this measure," External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Nirupama Rao said.
"We have seen no
dimunition whatsoever in Pakistan's support for terrorism. The
figures of infiltration continue to be high. We have received reports
of training camps for terrorists continuing to flourish in Pakistani
territory and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)," the spokesperson
told reporters here.
Immediately after the 2-hour long CCS
meeting, Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh had said that the government
had decided that Qazi "be required to return to Islamabad."
He said no time-frame has been Qazi's return but once notified he
should better leave India immediately. It was, however, clarified
later that he was given a week's time to pack off alongwith his
family.
Pakistan termed as "disappointing" India's decision and
said it was recalling Qazi but maintained that it would work for
de-escalation of tension and complete normalisation of relations
between the two countries.
In an interview to Pakistan
Government-run PTV from here, Qazi said his expulsion by India would
not have any positive impact on the bilateral relations. He said he
would leave the country respecting the sovereign right of India to
take "wise or unwise" decisions. "It is unfortunate
step. Obviously it will not have positive impact on the state of
relations. But it falls within the sovereign right of India to take
any step whether wise or unwise and we actually respect the decision.
I am expected to return within a week", he added.
In a
related development, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has
withdrawn all military personnel, including top generals, from the
civilian duties with immediate effect, ordering them to report to the
Army Headquarters, according to Pakistani news agency NNN.
"All
the military officials ranking from Major General and down, working
with the civilian departments since October 1999 and otherwise should
immediately report to the GHQ, Rawalpindi for further orders,"
the notification issued on Friday said.
NNN quoted officials
state that "all the uniformed officials including NCOs, JCOs and
top level from Lieutenant to Major General, have been directed to
report immediately as the military command need them to be posted in
the wake of the threats of the Indian leadership."
The
move to recall all its officers doing the civil duty was significant
as according to the media reports over "600 serving or retired
army officials held various top political and administrative posts in
the country after the military took over power in a coup in October,
1999," NNN said.
Reports also say Vice Chief of the Army
Staff, Gen. Muhammad Yousuf Khan, has visited the forward defence
locations in Bahawlpur sector in Pakistan's Punjab province to
inspect the country's defence preparedness. END