ISLAMABAD, April 30: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday expressed serious concern over the plight of Pakistani seamen in India and said treatment meted out to them was in violation of international law and norms.
“A Pakistani ship was on way to India for ship-breaking when it sank. However, seamen were rescued and taken to the Indian state of Gujarat where they were kept in a police station. This was when the ship’s Yemeni crew was accommodated in a hotel,” FO spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam told a press briefing in Islamabad.
She said the High Commission in New Delhi was in contact with Indian authorities for the well being of the Pakistani citizens.
“We have conveyed our concerns to the Indian government over the treatment being meted out to our seamen.”
Speaking to reporters, the spokeswoman said there was no information regarding a Pakistani boat allegedly carrying narcotics captured by Indian authorities earlier this month. She said India had also not communicated anything to that effect.
Earlier this month, an Indian official had claimed that a joint navy and coastguard operation had intercepted a Pakistani vessel trafficking 200 kilograms — $15 million worth — of heroin in Indian waters on April 20. The boat was apparently headed for the western state of Gujarat, Indian navy spokesman D K Sharma had said at the time.
On questions relating to the changes in the Saudi royal family’s line of succession, Aslam declined to comment and said that Pakistan does not comment on internal developments of other countries.
On April 29, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman named Interior Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef heir to the throne, replacing Crown Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud who was second in line.
The FO spokeswoman also said that Pakistan was in touch with Italian authorities regarding the arrests of her nationals charged with terrorism in the European country.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Crown Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud is second in line. The error is regretted.
