ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is taking steps to ensure security to the embassies of India and Myanmar which said they were facing terrorism threats.
The foreign ministry asked law enforcement agencies for a security beef-up after it received requests from the diplomatic establishments of these two countries in Islamabad.
Indian High Commission on July 2 conveyed to the Pakistan foreign ministry that it has received an input indicating “threat of suicide bombing”, asking for sensitising the authorities concerned and ensuring security of the High Commission and its personnel.
In pursuance of this request Pakistan Foreign Office wrote a letter to the relevant authorities titled, “Threat to Indian High Commission in Islamabad”, a copy of which is exclusively available with The Nation.
The Foreign Office asked the relevant agencies to take all necessary steps to ensure safety of the Commission and its staff. The letter also disclosed that the High Commission of India had also conveyed about a similar threat on May 28. In the other case, the embassy of Myanmar has also expressed concerns over receiving indications of possible armed attack at its premises in Islamabad and sought attention of Pakistani authorities in this regard.
The Foreign Office wrote a separate letter to the authorities concerned with subject, “Anti-bomb security arrangements at embassy of Myanmar Islamabad”, to sensitise the law-enforcing agencies and do the needful. The letter read: “The embassy of Myanmar has reiterated its request for beefing up security, including proper anti-bomb security arrangements and precautionary measures like bomb checking of the incoming vehicles at its premises; chancery, staff housing, ambassador’s residence, residence of military attache in the diplomatic enclave and protection while movement of diplomats and family members outside the diplomatic enclave.”
The foreign office asked the relevant authorities to make necessary security arrangements, as requested by the embassy. It said that the embassy has approached the foreign office in the light of security alert received by its country.
“As per high security alert recently received from the headquarters of possible bomb or other forms of armed attack to the embassy, the embassy once again would like to seek kind assistance from the esteemed ministry to facilitate proper anti-bomb security arrangements and all other protection including movements of diplomats and family members outside diplomatic enclave measures such as bomb checking to the incoming vehicles to the premises of the embassy on the most maximum scale in full time in cooperation with the security agencies”, the embassy conveyed to the foreign office.