Author: Saurabh Shukla
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: July 24, 2003
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/240703/detFRO04.shtml
The appointment of a former Pakistani
national as a visa officer in the British high commission in New Delhi
has turned into a diplomatic duel.
Highly placed sources say the official,
Haroon Suleman, is a British national who held dual Pakistani and British
citizenship earlier.
Though his visa application was
sent to the Indian high commission in London in May, New Delhi has been
refusing to clear it on "security grounds". The Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) has now asked the UK to withdraw the official's appointment.
However, officials say that India
has so far not made a formal request to Britain to withdraw the appointment
to avoid embarrassing the British.
While British officials plead that
it is the sovereign right of a country to appoint its diplomats under the
Vienna Convention, Indian diplomats say the British should have realised
the sensitive nature of the job and not nominated an official of Pakistani
origin.
"They themselves got several officials
with Iraqi connections removed from some missions. How do they expect us
to grant a visa to an official who was earlier a Pakistani national?" asks
a senior official.
Home Ministry sources say intelligence
agencies had raised objections because of Suleman's Pakistani origin and
because the official will be joining the sensitive visa section.
While New Delhi is adamant on not
letting in Suleman, London is peeved.
"This is a rigid attitude. Once
a decision has been made there is no reason why there should be an objection
from India. We have vetted Suleman, and besides, he is a British national
now," said a diplomatic source in London.
According to South Block sources,
since the issue has the potential to impact India-UK ties, it was referred
to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.
Sinha is believed to have issued
directions that the British be told to withdraw Suleman voluntarily, failing
which New Delhi will have no choice but to reject him.
Sources in London confirmed that
the matter has been sent back to the British Foreign Office.
A British high commission spokesman,
however, refused to comment on the issue. "We would never discuss the details
of individuals with third parties," he said.
