Three Germans held, freed after interrogation

PESHAWAR: Three Germans including a serving colonel of the army were arrested for illegally staying in the provincial capital and indulging in suspicious activities during a raid in the University Town here on Saturday, officials said.

The three foreigners were later handed over to the German embassy in Islamabad after brief interrogation.

A police party headed by superintendent of police (SP-cantonment) along with officials of the intelligence agencies raided a building in the University Town and arrested the three Germans.

They claimed to be part of the diplomatic staff of the German embassy running a liaison office of the diplomatic mission in Peshawar.

The foreigners, however, failed to produce the no objection certificate (NOC),†which all foreigners need for staying in Peshawar due to the uncertain law and order situation in the city and province.

ìThe office was also being run without any authorisation by the Pakistani authorities,î a source said.

A police official, on the condition of anonymity, told this scribe that there were confirmed reports that the office was involved in suspicious activities and had also played a key role in damaging Pakistanís image before and after the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan.

Pakistan had boycotted the conference in protest against a Nato attack on its security post in Salala in Mohmand Agency on November 26 last year in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

One of the detained men was stated to be a serving colonel of the German Army. He was identified as Colonel Christine Wild. The two other German nationals held from the building were Lawrence and Ralph Smith.

A number of diplomatic missions and international organisations have their offices in the University Town. Some offices of the foreign organizations are also located in Hayatabad and Cantonment areas.

There are reports that some of these offices are involved in suspicious activities. It may be recalled that many foreign nationals, mostly Americans, were detained in recent months and sent back to Islamabad.

Authorities have directed the foreigners coming to Peshawar to obtain an NOC from the concerned authorities so that they could be provided security.

The KP Home and Tribal Affairs Department recently asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to shift all the diplomatic missions and offices of international organisations to a single place in Peshawar for security reasons.