MUMBAI: India said on Saturday it had lodged a protest over a senior British diplomat’s visit to Azad Kashmir, saying the trip this week had infringed on India’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Kashmir is claimed in full, but controlled only in part, by nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars and engaged in numerous clashes over the Himalayan region since 1947.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott visited Pakistani Kashmir along with an official from the UK Foreign Office on Jan. 10, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has lodged a “strong protest” to the British High Commissioner to India about the visit, the ministry said, calling the trip “unacceptable.”
Asked to comment on the Indian protest, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office confirmed Marriott’s visit and added: “She met with the UK-Pakistani diaspora, played in a football match with street children and visited a bakery.”
This week’s visit came as both India and Pakistan head to polls for elections this year.
India protests UK diplomat’s visit to Azad Kashmir, calls it breach of sovereignty
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India protests UK diplomat’s visit to Azad Kashmir, calls it breach of sovereignty
- British High Commissioner Jane Marriott visited Pakistani Kashmir on Jan. 10, prompting New Delhi to call it ‘unacceptable’
- Kashmir is claimed in full, but controlled only in part, by nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which have fought twice over it
After mosque bombing, Islamabad intensifies patrols, surveillance during Ramadan prayers, iftar
- Police chief orders enhanced screening at capital city’s entry and exit points after Feb. 6 blast
- Safe City cameras to monitor Islamabad round the clock as special pre-iftar traffic plan enforced
ISLAMABAD: Police in the federal capital have been instructed to step up patrols, surveillance and checkpoint inspections during Ramadan prayers and iftar hours, an official statement said on Wednesday, as the city’s police chief chaired a security meeting following a deadly mosque bombing earlier this month.
Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi directed senior officers to ensure “foolproof security” across the city, with special focus on mosques during peak congregational times.
The meeting comes after a suicide bombing at a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad on Feb. 6 that killed at least 32 people. The blast targeted the Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque and imambargah during Friday prayers and was claimed by Daesh that said one of its militants detonated an explosive vest inside the congregation.
“All officers must ensure their presence in the field and properly brief personnel about their duties,” Rizvi said, according to a statement issued by the police.
“Strict security arrangements should be ensured at mosques, imambargahs and Ramadan bazaars,” he continued. “Special patrols should be conducted during Fajr, iftar and Taraweeh hours.”
The police chief said Safe City cameras would be used for round-the-clock effective monitoring across the capital.
In addition to security measures, he reviewed traffic arrangements and directed strict implementation of a special traffic plan during pre-iftar rush hours, calling for additional deployment on major roads and at commercial centers.
Islamabad, which has generally seen fewer large-scale militant attacks than some other parts of Pakistan, has faced sporadic security incidents in the past, prompting authorities to tighten monitoring during religious gatherings and other high-risk events.
