Indian diplomat Piyush Singh's phone was seized in a Pakistani court.
Highlights
- Indian diplomat told court he was texting, not taking photos
- He was in court for the case of 20-year-old Uzma
- She says Pak husband tricked her, wants to return to India
At a time when India-Pakistan tension has escalated considerably over Islamabad's plans to execute an Indian, a senior Indian diplomat's phone was seized today in a Pakistani court.
Piyush Singh, who is in charge of visas and consular access, was using his phone within a court-room in Islamabad. Local media said he was seen taking photos.
The cellphone was later returned to him and no charges were pressed. He told the court that he was texting on his phone and not using his camera.
"This is not a big issue. He didn't know the rule, and took his mobile inside by mistake," said sources.
The diplomat was in court on behalf of Uzma , a 20-year-old Indian woman who claims she was tricked into marrying a Pakistani man and now fears for her life.
Uzma has been staying at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and has refused to leave its premises until she is allowed to return to India. She has claimed that after being coerced to marry, she discovered that her Pakistani husband, who she met in Malaysia, is already married. Her husband, Tahir Ali, claims that she is being detained against her wishes by Indian diplomats.
On Monday, the United Nations' top court will hold an emergency hearing based on India's request to stop Pakistan from executing Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been convicted by a Pakistani court of espionage. Pakistan says Mr Jadhav, a former naval officer, was arrested in Balochistan last year.
India has denied he was a spy, and lodged a protest with the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Pakistan of "egregious violations of the Vienna convention". Its petition says that India was not informed of Mr Jadhav's detention "until long after his arrest" and Pakistan "failed to inform" him of his right.
India has told the court that it has information that Mr. Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran, where he was operating a business after retiring from the navy.
The UN court will hold public hearings on Mr Jadhav's case.
Over the last year, Pakistani terror attacks on Indian military bases have left more than 25 security personnel dead, plunging bilateral relations into a crisis.