At least 60 students, mostly children of diplomatic staff overseas, are set to return home from Islamabad after the new advisory issued by the Indian government.
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Most of the children were studying at the American School which is also known as the International School of Islamabad.
India has declared Pakistan a “No School-Going Mission” and asked staff members at the High Commission in Islamabad to either return or send their school-going children back home.
The decision was taken as India is concerned about the security of their young nationals after the Army Public School attack in Peshawar in December 2014. Downgrading a mission to “no-school going” is a sign of heightened security risk in that country or of possible skirmishes between the countries concerned. One reason why India had to recall school kids from Pakistan, said sources here, was that the strife over Kashmir did not look like abating anytime soon.
With this directive almost 60 school children of the Indian staff will not resume their classes from the next quarter onwards.
Around 10 children of the IHC staff members are enrolled in Roots International School.
Under the “No School-Going Mission”, diplomatic staff is not allowed to stay with their school-going children.
Another reason cited was the restriction on the free movement of the Indian students.
A Pakistani diplomat feared the Pakistani students whose parents work in Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi might face the similar situation in India.
According to sources, whenever the school administration planned an out-station trip, the Indian students would have to seek prior approval from the Pakistani Foreign Office which didn’t always grant the permission. A request to review the decision was rejected by India.
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Pakistan foreign office has told NDTV.
