In tit-for-tat,Pak picks up Indian official

High Commission official went missing day after Pak driver was detained in Chandigarh,released after India lodged protest

In what is being seen as a retaliation to the detention of a Pakistan High Commission driver for entering a restricted area in Chandigarh on the day of the India-Pakistan match,an Indian High Commission official in Islamabad was picked up Thursday evening while returning home from work setting off a potential diplomatic stand-off between the two countries.

The official,who works with the Consular section,was handed over to an Indian High Commission official Friday evening,hours after strong protests from India.

Sources said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao spoke to her Pakistan counterpart Salman Bashir and asked that the Indian official be released immediately and unharmed. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad had immediately taken up the matter with the Pakistan Foreign Office and expressed serious concern over the officials disappearance.

The High Commission also asked the Pakistan government to trace the missing Indian official and ensure his safety and well-being. The message was also conveyed to Pakistan High Commission by the Ministry of External Affairs.

On Wednesday,a Pakistani driver posted with the Pakistan High Commission is said to have been detained after he allegedly strayed into the restricted,military area near the Chandigarh airport. The driver,as per sources,was kept in detention for questioning overnight and released Thursday morning.

While he was under detention,sources said the driver attempted to escape and in the process sustained bruises and minor injuries on his knee and back.

The driver was detained around 6 pm on March 30 when,having parked his car at some distance,he was spotted by a sentry while trying to enter the prohibited zone. According to sources,he refused to reveal his identity for hours during his questioning. It was only around 10 pm that he revealed that he was a driver working with the Pakistan High Commission.

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Following this,the security agencies began verifying his credentials and it was not before late night that his identity could be established. Before being released,sources said a medical check-up was done which certified that he was in good health. However,security agencies were still to find a credible explanation on why he was loitering in a prohibited area.

Since all of these events were unfolding at a time when the Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan were inside Mohalis PCA stadium watching the match,it was decided not to escalate the matter immediately given the possibility of it triggering a diplomatic row between both countries,sources said. With both PMs watching the match,the incident could have caused a huge diplomatic embarrassment, a source said.

With ENS,Chandigarh