Daily Times

The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday denied authenticity in the report circulating on social media about Germany handing over of those involved in the attack on Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt.

When asked whether the suspects involved in the vandalism were handed over to Pakistan, as being claimed in a report on social media, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch termed the report a “fake news”.

Dozens of miscreants had attacked the Pakistani consulate during a protest in Frankfurt on July 20. Following which, the German police had arrested two suspects.

Reports indicated that German authorities had allowed Afghan nationals to hold a peaceful protest. However, the demonstration’s participants turned violent, lobbed stones at the consulate building, and removed the country’s flag, leading to heightened tensions. After arresting two Afghan nationals, German police had anticipated more arrests as they continued to identify additional protesters with the help of video footage. A day after the incident, Pakistan condemned the attack by the gang of extremists on its consulate as well as the failure of the German authorities to protect the sanctity and security of the premises of its consular mission.

Meanwhile, Pakistan had summoned Germany’s senior most diplomat to register a strong protest over the incident.

The FO statement had said that the responsibility to protect the premises and ensure the security of diplomats falls under the host government under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963. “We are conveying our strong protest to the German government and urge to take immediate measures to fulfil its responsibilities under the Vienna Conventions,” the Foreign Office had said.

Pakistan had also sought the German authorities to take immediate measures to arrest and prosecute those involved in the instance and hold to account those responsible for the lapses in security.