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India downgrades Pakistan to ‘no school-going mission.
Indian government has declared Pakistan a “No School-Going Mission,” asking the staff members of the Indian High Commission (IHC) to either return to the country or send their school going children back to India. The decision was taken considering security and freedom of movement in Islamabad.
The Indian government has declared Pakistan a “No School-Going Mission,” asking the staff members of the Indian High Commission (IHC) to either return to the country or send their school going children back to India.
The recent decision, taken due to multiple reasons, will affect more than 60 schoolchildren of Indian diplomatic staff who would not resume their classes from next quarter.
The decision has come as a shock in Pakistani diplomatic circles, which feel that this decision will further strain the already strained relations between the two South Asian neighbours.
This decision would see many staffers of the IHC, in Islamabad, return for the sake of the education of their children. Should they choose to continue to serve the IHC, they must send their children back to India.
Sources in the know said that the IHC has already communicated the decision to Pakistan’s Foreign Office and the school authorities. Both the Foreign Office and the school authorities requested the Indian government to review the decision, but it refused.
Of the 60, around 50 children were enrolled in the International School of Islamabad (ISOI), popularly known as American School. This school is one of the two education institutions where the Indian government allows the children of IHC staff members to get enrolled. The school is famous for accommodating the children of foreign nationals residing in Pakistan. Children of most of the serving in Islamabad attend the same school. The remaining 10 children of the IHC staff members are enrolled in Roots International School.
One of the major concerns dictating the decision of the Indian government was the security of their young nationals. After a horrendous attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, the Indian authorities were planning to declare Pakistan a “No School-Going Mission”. Once declared, this criterion requires the diplomatic staff send back their school-going children to India. The spouses are allowed to stay, but parents generally do not prefer to stay away from the children.
Even though the Indian Government is concerned about the safety, it is worth mentioning that ISOI maintains foolproof security measures. “The school looks like a fortress and pays for its own private security. Besides, the Islamabad police are very vigilant around the premises. Yet you cannot ignore the risk factor,” observed a diplomat requesting anonymity.
Besides the obvious concern for security, another reason that drove the Indian government’s rather harsh decision was restriction on the free movement of the Indian students. According to sources, whenever a school trip was planned outside Islamabad the Indian students have to seek prior approval from the Pakistani Foreign Office. Following this formality did not always guarantee an approval.
People in the know said that even American diplomats tried to persuade their Indian counterparts to press their government to review the decision. However, the diplomats failed to budge.
A Pakistani diplomat feared the Pakistani students whose parents work in Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi might face the similar situation in India.
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