NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan’s envoy to India Abdul Basit to lodge a formal protest over the ‘discourtesy’ to Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale, whose event in Karachi was cancelled at the last minute. Basit was called in by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (West) Sujata Mehta to convey India’s concern over the incident. “Basit was conveyed our hope that our accredited diplomats in Pakistan will be allowed to discharge their normal functions without hindrance,” MEA’s spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
The controversy erupted as an event of Bambawale, organised by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, was cancelled half an hour before it was scheduled to start, apparently over his remarks on Pakistan’s interference in Kashmir. “There are problems in both India and Pakistan and you (Pakistan) should focus on resolving your problems before looking into the problems of other countries,” Bambawale had said at an event on Monday.