Diplomat's arrest: Omar Abdullah supports Centre's move

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today supported the Centre's move to withdraw privileges "bestowed" on US diplomats, but cautioned that removal of security barriers near the US embassy was "taking things too far".

Reacting to the Centre's move to withdraw all special facilities being provided to the US diplomats, Omar tweeted "by all means withdraw all the special privileges bestowed on the US Embassy in Delhi. Security has to be above political or diplomatic scraps.

"I am all for reciprocity but removal of US Embassy security barriers is taking things too far. These barriers weren't a privilege were they?" he asked.

In a series of withdrawal of privileges, Government today cancelled all airport passes for US diplomats- both from Embassy and Consulates.

Also, the traffic barricades near the US embassy on Nyaya Marg here will be lifted except the picket.

The action follows against the arrest of Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade, who was handcuffed in public in New York on visa fraud charges last week.

39-year-old Khobragade, a 1999-batch IFS officer, was taken into custody on a street in New York as she was dropping her daughter to school before being released on a USD 250,000 bond after pleading not guilty in court.