NEW DELHI: Demonetisation has further strained the already fraught India-Pakistan ties. The Pakistan High Commission has given a note verbale, informal protest in diplomatic parlance, to India as its staffers were facing difficulties in withdrawing salaries in dollars from banks.
Sources in the Pakistan Embassy told Express that diplomats and staffers posted in the High Commission were asked to produce documents by banks to explain the need for withdrawing money.
“We have not been asking for anything unusual. The bank not only asked us to produce documents, they also refused to give me more than $1000,” sources said. The salary accounts of the Pakistan High Commission staff are in RBL Bank, a private Indian bank. As per norms, diplomats can withdraw up to $5000 without giving any reasons.
Pakistan has alleged the development has nothing to do with demonetisation as missions of other countries were not facing such problems. Their High Commission has called it a breach of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and considering the trajectory of ties between the nations, this could have repercussions for Indian Embassy staffers in Islamabad. Both the countries have already expelled several staffers after spying allegations and counter-allegations.
The Ministry of External Affairs has refused to comment on the issue.