A Russian diplomat has been accused of physically intimidating Business Recorder Resident Editor Anjum Ibrahim by backing his car threateningly at high speed into her car, thereby startling the senior journalist and security guards alike.
The diplomat, identified as Micale, resides at Royal Apartments in diplomatic enclave. According to Ms Ibrahim, on Wednesday morning around 8.45 am when she was driving out of the space parking from her apartment in diplomatic enclave suddenly a 4 wheeler bearing the registration number QL 787 began honking in a discourteous manner.
When she drove the car on the side to give him way he speeded up and stopped ahead of her car. He then revved the engine threateningly and reversed the car at dangerously high speed. Ms Ibrahim as well as the guards at the gate thought he was going to ram the four-wheeler into her car. He stopped at the last minute turned to see if he had intimidated her and then triumphantly speeded up out of the gateway.
It was not clear whether the diplomat was drunk or under the influence of some drug which forced him to tease a woman. Despite several attempts the ambassador of the Russian Federation could not be reached for his comments. There was no response from the embassy to his email till the filing of this report.
Reactions: Senator Talha Mehmood, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior, took a serious note of harassment of Resident Editor of Business Recorder by a diplomat saying that Foreign Office should take the matter seriously and call the Ambassador of that country to lodge proper protest on this issue.
"Foreign diplomats should respect the law of land and remain within their limits to avoid any confrontation between the countries," Talha Mehmood said in his reaction to the incident of harassment. Talha also said he will raise the matter in Senate Standing Committee on Interior and seek a report on this issue from Foreign Office.
Another prominent parliamentarian belonging to PML (Q) Kashmala Tariq strongly reacted to the incident and asked for immediate registration of an FIR against the said diplomat. She stressed that under the country's law no one is above the law. She also asked that the matter needs to be taken up by the relevant embassy so that the accused is taken to task.
Not only lawmakers but country's main body of journalists' union also condemned the incident. President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Pervez Shaukat condemned this incident in strongest words and demanded the Foreign Office to call for an explanation from the Embassy of the Russian Federation.
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