Diplomats from over 35 countries in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan have expressed concerns over the law and order and crime situation in the country.
The foreign officials from the Far East, Central Asia, Middle East and Africa, met senior officers of the capital police to discuss security-related issues.
It is reported that a similar meeting was earlier scheduled but it was postponed due to the unavailability of the capital police chief.
During a briefing, the security staff of some embassies expressed concerns over road blockades and sealing of Red Zone which hampered their movements.
This comes in the backdrop of the recent protest march organised by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, that led to large-scale violence in the capital.
Against this backdrop, the police provided security cover to diplomats of different countries for over a dozen round trips to the airport from the Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad.
The embassy officials complained that their security measures from them were kept secret till the eleventh hour.
Embassy staff even asked the police to inform the embassies about security measures before any protest gathering so that events could be rescheduled according to the circumstances.
They expressed concerns over the security situation in Islamabad and also questioned the safety of Islamabad’s safety for a walk.
Concerns were also raised over the spike in street crime in the federal capital, the report said.
As per international standards, countries shared crime statistics of their respective capitals with all embassies located there.
As a result of this, requests were made to share the crime statistics while calling for greater transparency.
Dominica Nwabufo
