Guests invited to an Iftar party hosted by the Indian High Commission in Pakistan on Saturday faced unprecedented harassment and intimidation at the hands of Pakistani security agencies, India alleged on Sunday while lodging a strong protest with Islamabad.

“A concerted campaign was launched by Pakistani security agencies in the days preceding the ‘Iftar’ function to reach out to invitees to actively dissuade them from attending the function,” the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said in a press release.

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Those guests who did reach the venue, in some cases from as far as Karachi and Lahore, were intimidated and physically stopped from attending the function, it added.

Many guests from the diplomatic community in Islamabad were also subjected to harassment in violation of diplomatic norms. In some cases, cars used by the invitees were lifted and removed using forklifts from the Iftar venue – the upscale Serena Hotel in Islamabad. The Pakistani officials virtually laid siege on the hotel much before the Iftar party began.

The more than 300 Pakistani guests turned away included parliamentarians, government officials, media representatives, retired military officials, businessmen and retired diplomats.

The security forces rudely rebuffed and intimidated officers and staff of the Indian mission who tried to ascertain from them the reason for harassing the guests. Some officials were jostled, pushed, abused and aggressively threatened with bodily harm. In some cases, mobile phones of the officials were snatched.

“The disappointing events of 1 June not only violate basic norms of diplomatic conduct but are against all notions of civilised behaviour. Stopping diplomatic staff and officials from discharging their diplomatic functions by intimidation and coercion is entirely counter-productive for bilateral relationship,” the High Commission said.

Indian High commissioner Ajay Bisaria, in his brief speech at the Iftar, also referred to the alleged harassment of the guests by the Pakistani agencies.

This came days after the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi had alleged that guests invited to the Iftar hosted by the mission were harassed by Indian agencies.