FO launches probe after Indian professor accuses Pakistan mission officials of harassment

ISLAMABAD – The Foreign Office has launched an investigation into claims made by an Indian professor that she was asked uncomfortable questions by the staff of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

The probe comes after Indian media reported the claims of the professor at a university in the Punjab region of India stating that when she went to the office to apply for the visa, she was asked uncomfortable questions.

According to India Today, a staff member questioned the professor during the appointment about the reason for her visit to Lahore. The official's response was further stated as follows: “I wish to visit Lahore to photograph the monuments and write on them and also visit a university where I was invited to deliver a lecture.”

The academic reportedly claimed that when was about to leave the mission office, another official started asking uncomfortable personal questions.

 “He asked me why I wasn’t married. How do I live without marriage, what do I do for my sexual desires,” the woman was quoted by India Today as saying.

Reacting the allegations, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch criticised the timing and the manner in which the issue was raised.  

"We attach high importance to proper etiquette and behaviour towards all visa and consular applicants. All our diplomatic staff is under strict instructions to conduct themselves professionally," she said.

She said that the misbehaviour and mistreatment of "individuals visiting our missions" would not be tolerated at all.

“There are robust mechanisms in place for redressal of all public grievances," she said.

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