ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's law enforcement agencies have arrested a fisherman working for Indian intelligence agencies to spy on Islamabad, Information Minister Atta Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said.
Addressing a presser in the federal capital on Saturday, the information minister said that Ijaz Mallah was taken into custody by Indian authorities in September this year, before he was taken to an undisclosed location and was forced to do some task for them.
“He [Mallah] was offered greed that he would be compensated and threatened with up to three years imprisonment if he did not comply. He was eventually released by Indian intelligence agencies and sent back to Pakistan with certain tasks," the minister added.
Tarar also said that the fisherman was instructed by Indian agencies to procure uniforms of the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Rangers, along with local SIM cards and phone bills, for espionage purposes.
The information minister went on to say that Pakistani intelligence agencies monitored his activities and took him into custody. "Mallah was apprehended while returning to India after completing the tasks."
Tarar said that Mallah had confessed to his crimes following his arrest. A video of Malah's confession was released, in which he said Indian agents had threatened him with imprisonment if he refused to cooperate.
Tarar said India is reportedly unsettled by Pakistan's recent strategic and diplomatic successes, prompting such attempts at sabotage.
The information minister said that Pakistani intelligence agencies had been monitoring the activities of the spy.
"Our agencies began surveillance when Mallah was found purchasing uniforms of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, and Rangers," he said.
Following this, the minister said that the fisherman was apprehended, and authorities recovered Pakistani SIM cards, matchboxes, lighters, and other items, which were to be handed over to Indian authorities.
Minister Tarar further stated that Mallah was working for an Indian agency and had been tasked with acquiring sensitive items.
He said that India's recent anti-Pakistan campaign was a result of its diplomatic and military failures, adding that the propaganda against Pakistan was clear evidence of those failures, while Pakistan continued to gain respect and prestige internationally.
Tarar said that following the failure of “Operation Sindoor,” India launched a series of false narratives to tarnish Pakistan's image. “India is alarmed by Pakistan's growing prestige on the international stage,” he added.
He said that both India's propaganda and fabricated claims had been exposed to the world, and that Pakistan had successfully uncovered New Delhi's conspiracies before the international community.
Speaking on the occasion, Talal revealed that the agent was instructed to obtain a SIM card from a specific mobile company.
He said that the Pakistani media has successfully defended the country's reputation internationally.