FO 'looking into' Indian woman's allegation of mistreatment at Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday said it was 'looking into' the allegation of indecent questioning by a member of its staff with an Indian woman at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, adding that it 'has zero tolerance for misbehaviour and mistreatment'.

According to India Today, a Punjab University professor and department head alleged that she was asked uncomfortable questions by a staffer at the high commission when she went to apply for a visa.

'He asked me why I wasn't married. How do I live without marriage, what do I do for my sexual desires,' the woman claimed, adding that the official persistently kept asking his questions despite her attempt to change the topic.

The professor was planning to visit Lahore to deliver a lecture at a university and to photograph monuments. She wrote to the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, asking the matter to be taken up.

In a statement today, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: 'We attach high importance to proper etiquette and behavior towards all visa and consular applicants.

'All our diplomatic staff is under strict instructions to conduct themselves professionally.'

However, the FO spokesperson expressed surprise over the timing of the alleged incident and 'the manner in which it has been raised'.

'There are robust mechanisms in place for the redressal of all public grievances,' she added.

Frosty ties

Bilateral ties between the two nations have been strained to say the least. Last week, the FO asked India to stop levelling bogus charges and end its support for terrorism in Pakistan.

'For the last several years, India has engaged in a malicious campaign to mislead the...