New Delhi, January 6
India is understood to have firmly told the US that it can’t be business as usual between the two countries until the controversy surrounding the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York in an alleged visa fraud case
is resolved.
US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell today met Vikram Doraiswami, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the External Affairs Ministry and discussed the situation arising from the December 12 arrest of Devyani and the setback it has caused to ties between the two nations.
New Delhi is learnt to have sought an unconditional withdrawal of
all charges against the Indian diplomat, contending that she enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
The US envoy, it is understood, said she would convey New Delhi's view to the US Administration.
The ambassador had recently regretted the circumstances of Devyani's arrest even as American officials indicated that the charges against the
top officer would not be withdrawn.
Ever since the US authorities meted out a rough treatment to the Indian diplomat, the two countries have been in regular touch to amicably resolve the issue. The US envoy has also met senior MEA officials, including Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, on a number of occasions but a solution has eluded the two sides.
The incident led to strong protests by the Indian government and widespread indignation in India. At the time of her arrest, Khobragade was the Deputy Consul General in New York. She was subsequently transferred to India's Permanent Mission to the UN.
A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard. She was released on a $ 250,000 bond.
India retaliated by downgrading privileges of a certain category of US diplomats among other steps last month.
Pakistan today sided with India on the row over the treatment meted out to Devyani Khobragade. It said such treatment should not be meted to any official of another country.
"In the entire world, there is only one way...there is a long history to this...the respect for Vienna Convention...the Vienna Convention ought to be respected in letter and spirit by everbody," Pakistan High Commissioner Salman Bashir said on the sidelines of an event when asked about his reaction to the issue.
Former Pakistan Foreign Secretary Shaharyar M Khan said this kind of treatment should not be meted out to diplomats.
"It is written clearly in Vienna convention -- both for diplomatic and consular conduct..under it
one cannot arrest any diplomat especially if that diplomat has said that he or she has immunity..Every country has signed it..." Khan said.
