Significance of the Episode

• India and Pakistan have recently come to an understanding to mutually address all issues regarding the treatment of diplomats. This decision comes after a series of accusations and counter-accusations between the two nations about alleged harassment of each other’s diplomats. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that both nations have mutually agreed to solve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in accordance with the 1992 “Code of Conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan”.
• The foreign office of Pakistan has also released a similar statement. Back in March, India had requested Pakistan to ensure the safety and security of its officials working at the Indian embassy in Islamabad, citing continuous harassment and intimidation.
• This episode of India’s World will aim to explore what may have led India and Pakistan to attempt to resolve the diplomatic row and where the relations between the two countries are likely to head.

Insights by the Experts:

• To understand what may have led India and Pakistan to resolve the diplomatic row, it is essential to first consider historical precedents.
• History suggests that whenever Pakistan decides to stop the harassment of diplomats from India, it is usually because it starts to ‘feel the heat’.
• When India begins to pressurize their diplomats, then Pakistan changes its approach. There have been several instances in the past when Indian diplomats were not only harassed but physically assaulted as well. These experiences became unbearable. In one instance, a Pakistani diplomat was roughed up by their own people- possibly due to some domestic issue, the Pakistani’s thought that it was the work of the Indian intelligence agencies, and then after that, all the harassment of Indian diplomats on Pakistani soil came to a halt.
• Also, the 1992 Code of Conduct was signed in April of that year and in December of 1992, there was a major attack on the residence of the Indian Consul General in Karachi- a large mob attacked it, a part of the building was set on fire, and the Consul General at that time, Rajiv Dogra, was away in his office, but his family managed to escape, by hiding in a bathroom. Hence, one is sceptical whether the harassment faced by Indian diplomats on Pakistani soil will completely end.
• In any case, we must welcome this measure- anything that makes the life of our diplomats more bearable needs to be welcomed. However, this might only be a temporary relief. It may be just cyclical because of the fact that since we have tightened the screws