The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned the Norwegian ambassador over his presence at a court hearing in Islamabad, noting the act amounted to interference in the country’s internal affairs.
In a statement on the demarche made to the Norwegian envoy, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the additional foreign secretary (Europe) had summoned the Norwegian diplomat regarding his “unwarranted attendance” at a court proceeding in Islamabad. The attendance, he said, constituted a breach of diplomatic protocol and relevant international law.
“Noting that his actions amount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, the ambassador was urged to adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement, as outlined in the relevant articles of the Vienna Convention,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the Norwegian envoy attended—as proven in video footage shared online—a Supreme Court hearing in a case concerning lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha and allegedly controversial tweets. The footage of the Norwegian official’s arrival to the court shows him being greeted by Mazari and her legal team. The act prompted criticism on social media, with users questioning the ambassador’s authority to “pressure” the judiciary.
Responding to the criticism on X, Mazari maintained that diplomats “routinely observe” courts’ proceedings and this was not equivalent to them taking any position. “This is a standard practice,” she wrote.
Mazari and Chattha are facing a criminal case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. They were indicted on Oct. 30, with the first information report (FIR) alleging they attempted to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through their social media posts.