India summoned a senior American diplomat to convey strong concern over the frisking of India’s ambassador to the US, Ms Meera Shankar, at a Mississippi airport on December 4.
US embassy deputy chief Donald Lu was called in to South Block and told that India expects the Transp-ortation Security Admini-stration (TSA) of the US to sensitise all its agents at all its airports to “cultural and religious sensitivities” of foreign diplomats.
Javed Ashraf, joint secretary (Americas) in the MEA, pointed out to the United States diplomat that while 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 to foreign diplomats.
Mr Ashraf told the diplomat that the subjecting of the Indian envoy to a body search is contrary to normal diplomatic practice and inconsistent with the excellent relations that India and the US enjoy.
The American was bluntly told, “We respect every country’s security procedures but we also expect that normal diplomatic privileges and courtesies are extended to the ambassador and our diplomats.” Ms Shankar was pulled from a security line at the Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi and subjected to a body search despite making known her diplomatic status.