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 Indian Embassy employees in Islamabad were told a year ago itself to permit sufficient time for affected staff members to make alternative arrangements for the continuing education of their children.
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The campuses are closed right now for summer vacation and would open next month. The decision was taken following the December 2014 attack on Indian embassy in Peshawar. India asked Pakistan last week to ensure the safety of its officials and their families stationed in Islamabad in view of threats from marches and protests outside the high commission. “India’s approach (of declaring Pakistan no school going mission) is in consonance with the policy adopted by several nations”, ANI quoted Indian government sources as saying.
India is “worried about the situation in Kashmir”, Singh told media representatives. “The timing only smacks of an effort by Pakistan to internationalise the Kashmir issue”.
According to MEA officials, there are about 50 school-going children of Indian officials, who are now posted in Indian mission in Islamabad.
Pakistan Foreign Office also said it was informed of the decision two months back and that “no other considerations were communicated” to it.
Burhan Muzzaffar Wani, the 22-year-old commander of Kashmir’s largest pro-independence militant group Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the courageous young martyr who Swaraj branded a “wanted terrorist”, drew huge crowds of over 200,000 Kashmiris in the funeral prayers in 50 different locations throughout Indian-occupied Kashmir, despite a strict curfew.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan who have fought two wars over its control since 1947 when British rule of the subcontinent ended. “Even in India, conscientious voices have raised concern over the brutalities and reign of terror unleashed by the Indian forces in Indian-Occupied Kashmir”, he said.
Another reason for India’s move was the restriction on movement of Indian students.
Around 50 children of the IHC staff members were enrolled in the International School of Islamabad (ISOI), popularly known as American School.
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CNN-News 18 has learnt that this decision was taken by MEA in June 2015 and adequate time was given all students and their parents to find admissions for the new academic session in 2016.
