Stung by pat down, India threatens similar patting for US diplomats

In its response to the pat-down search of Indian ambassador to US Meera Shankar, the government on Saturday summoned Donald Lu, United States of America’s deputy chief of mission in India, and threatened to review all privileges and facilities granted to the US diplomats in the country if such incidents are repeated. Lu was conveyed India’s unhappiness by Javed Ashraf, joint secretary (Americas) in his South Block office.

“India respects the privileges of foreign diplomats in India and extends diplomatic courtesies to them. Such incidents naturally lead to calls for review of privileges and facilities given in India,” Ashraf told Lu.

Echoing foreign minister S M Krishna’s reaction, who on Thursday had said that such incidents were “unacceptable” the Indian official said that such an act was contrary to the normal diplomatic practice and inconsistent with the excellent relations that India and the United States enjoy. The US envoy was told that India expects the US state department and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to sensitise its agents at all airports towards cultural and religious sensitivities of foreign diplomats and asked US to ensure that normal diplomatic privileges and courtesies are extended to Indian Ambassador as smoothly as it is done for its diplomats here.

“We understand and respect every country’s security procedures, but we also expect that normal diplomatic privileges and courtesies are extended to Ambassador and our diplomats. We expect that the state department and the TSA would sensitise all its agents at all airports to cultural and religious sensitivities of foreign diplomats,” Ashraf said.

While expressing India’s “strong concern” over the incident Ashraf said: “Despite the fact that the mission had followed the state department guidelines for expedited clearance for Ambassadors; and she was escorted by a TSA official and, she had presented her diplomatic identity, the Ambassador had to undergo enhanced security check, because, as we have been informed, she was wearing a sari.”

Shankar was pulled out of the airport security line for a pat-down search despite informing the security that she was an ambassador at the Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi on 4 December 2010. Upset with the embarrassment and harassment caused to the woman Ambassador, political parties on Friday had asked government for a reciprocatory gesture towards the American diplomats in India and subject the American envoy to security searches on domestic flights in India.