Centre asks diplomats in Pakistan to send their kids back to India

Under the ‘No School-Going Mission,’ diplomatic staff is not allowed to stay with their children.

The Indian government has declared Pakistan a ‘No School-Going Mission’, directing staff members of the Indian High Commission (IHC) to withdraw their children from schools there and send them back to India.

Under the "No School-Going Mission," diplomatic staff is not allowed to stay with their school-going children. However, their spouses are allowed to stay.

According to a report in the Daily Times, over 60 school children of Indian diplomats in Pakistan would not resume their classes from the next quarter under the recent decision taken by New Delhi for multiple reasons.

The decision was taken as India is concerned about the security of their young nationals after the Army Public School attack in Peshawar in December 2014.

Another reason cited was the restriction on the free movement of the Indian students. Whenever a school administration plans a trip outside Islamabad, Indian students have to seek prior approval from the Pakistani Foreign Office.

This decision would compel many staffers of the IHC, in Islamabad, to return to India for the sake of the education of their children. In case they wish to continue to serve the IHC, they must send their children back to India.

Sources said the IHC had already communicated the decision to Pakistan's Foreign Office and the school authorities.

Both the Foreign Office and the school authorities had reportedly requested the Indian government to review the decision, but New Delhi is said to have refused.

After the decision, Pakistani diplomats fear it would further strain relations between the two neighbours.