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Pak mission officials face trouble over salary withdrawal, India steers clear
India on Saturday said the Pakistan high commission’s banking issues over withdrawal of salaries were not of its concern, and should be sorted out between the bank and the mission.
India on Saturday said the Pakistan high commission’s banking issues over withdrawal of salaries were not of its concern, and should be sorted out between the bank and the mission.
Pakistan had lodged a protest with India over its diplomats in the high commission in New Delhi allegedly not being allowed to withdraw their salaries, which is paid in US dollars, by the bank.
“As far as we understand, the matter was between Pakistan High Commission and a private banking entity. It had nothing to do with the government,” official sources said, adding that the matter had been resolved.
The mission asserted that not allowing its officials to withdraw their salaries was in breach of Vienna Protocol, and Pakistan threatened it might consider retaliatory action against salary disbursal for Indian diplomats in Islamabad if the matter wasn’t sorted.
Read | Unable to withdraw salaries, say Pak diplomats as they threaten retaliation
RBL Bank, an Indian private bank, holds the salary account of the Pakistan high commission staff.
“We are not allowed to withdraw our own salary. It is not a demonetization issue. It appears that it is done more at the instructions of the Indian government,” a senior official at the mission alleged.
According to other commission officials, they were not being allowed to withdraw their salaries without ‘letters of purpose’ for any dollar amount.
Diplomats are allowed to draw their tax-free salaries in dollars without question, except for amounts above USD 5,000. In this case, an explanation needs to be submitted.
Incidentally, demonetisation has led to a sharp spike in demand for dollars and other foreign currency, making it scarce.
