As tension simmers between the India and Pakistan over recent developments in Kashmir, India has asked its diplomats and other officials to withdraw their kids from local schools in Islamabad.
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Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must understand that “Kashmir can never become a part of Pakistan”.
India’s decision to declare Pakistan “No-School Going Mission” might be a response of Pakistan’s growing interference in India’s affairs.
India has asked its security forces to exercise restraint in responding to protests in disputed Kashmir and replace pellet guns with non-lethal weapons, its home affairs minister said on Sunday.
India on Monday declared Pakistan as “No School Going Mission” for the staff-members of Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Verbal altercations have been happening between the two countries nearly on a daily basis since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani earlier in July and talks have been put on hold. Officials who joined the mission after June 2015 were not allowed to take their children with them from India. “No other considerations were communicated to us”, but it seems that the security considerations are paramount for the Indian Government at the moment. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Sharif.
In his remarks on the occasion, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Sohail Mahmood highlighted the untold sufferings of the Kashmiri people in the wake of excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the occupying forces against women, children and elderly. “We could no longer expose our children as soft targets, because the security has deteriorated”.
However, according to reports, India had been considering the move since 2014. Since visas are city-specific, diplomats have to get permission from the Pakistan Foreign Office before children can travel outside Islamabad. No school going and no-spouse assignments are reserved for areas like Libya and Iraq, which are termed as conflict zones.
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In 2009, a blast near the American school had been a shocker for many foreign diplomats. Their children are ferried to and from schools in these vehicles. From our end, we will aim to show clean and unobtrusive ads to provide you with a great browsing experience.
