Holand recalls some staffers from Pakistan over threats

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands said Monday it has pulled several embassy staff members from Pakistan over persistent threats on anti-Islam tweets by the far-right politician Geert Wilders. Although the Dutch embassy in Islamabad remains open and visa requests are still being handled, "a whole number of people" have returned to the Netherlands, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said. "Unfortunately Dutch citizens are being threatened, Dutch diplomats," Blok told a news programme on the NPO public broadcaster´s Radio 1 channel. Blok said he had spoken with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi about the issue. Blok did not specify how many embassy staff were affected by the move. Wilders in August called off a planned drawing competition that stirred anger in Pakistan, but the MP has since posted several such images on the social network.