Pak Diplomat In Europe Faces Sexual Harassment Charges

A senior Pakistani diplomat and Consul General of Pakistan in the Spanish city of Barcelona has been sacked on sexual harassment charges, according to local media.

A local staffer of the consulate earlier this month lodged a complaint against Mirza Salman Baig, according to Pakistani publication The Nation.
Citing sources, The Nation reported on August 11 that the name of the staffer, which is not being disclosed, lodged the complaint with Pakistan Ambassador Shujat Rathore in Madrid, who later referred the matter to the Foreign Office in Islamabad for further investigation.

As per the publication, the Foreign Ministry sent a two-member team to Barcelona and Madrid to probe the case. They completed the investigation, on the basis of which the Foreign Office removed the officer from his position and recalled him to the headquarters in Islamabad.

According to the publication, the complainant in her complaint alleged that the counsel general used to send her messages through social media, which, she claimed, were harassment.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has cancelled his Europe visit on Monday due to massive flooding in Sindh. His European trip was to strengthen relations with Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

The Express Tribune reported that Bilawal was scheduled to fly to Germany on Monday on the first leg of his first tour of the EU countries since assuming office. A revised schedule with the same itinerary will be announced soon, a source in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said, as per the publication.

The decision to postpone the trip came a day after two more districts in Sindh were declared “calamity-hit”, taking the total to 13 following catastrophic rains and flooding, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)