Eight Indian 'diplomats' involved in subversive activities in Pakistan: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday that eight Indian diplomats were involved in subversive activities in the country.

During the weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesman, Nafees Zakaria said the diplomats are agents of Indian spy agencies RAW and IB. He added that these diplomats were involved in subversive activities including attempts to disrupt the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"A number of Indian diplomats and staff...have been found involved in coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments," foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told the news briefing. 

The Indian intelligence personnel working at the countries High Commission in Islamabad are, Rajesh Kumar (posted as commercial counsellor), Balbir Singh (posted as first secretary press and culture), Anurag Singh (posted as first secretary commercial), Amardeep Singh (posted as visa attaché), Madhavan Nand Kumar (posted as visa assistant),Jayabalan Senthal (posted as assistant personnel welfare), Dharmendra and Vijay Kumar. 

"All these eight officials were involved in espionage, subversion and supporting of terrorist activities," Zakaria said.

The FO spokesman further said that the Indian diplomatic staff had also handled Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) factions.

The Foreign Office spokesman also condemned the treatment of Pakistani diplomats in India, stating that New Delhi had violated the Vienna Convention and diplomatic etiquette. “The lives of Pakistani diplomats were put at stake when their names were mentioned in the media,” Zakaria said.

Speaking on the issue of occupied Kashmir, Zakaria said India had been violating human rights for the last four months.

On the ceasefire violations, the Foreign Office spokesman said India was carrying out unprovoked firing at the Line of Control and Working Boundary.

India to call back ‘diplomats’

India will call back its eight diplomats who have been identified as agents. According to diplomatic sources, the decision was taken after their identities were revealed.

Sources further revealed that the staff has closed their Islamabad Club membership.

A history of spying 

Prior to this a number of Indian spies have been spotted and arrested in Pakistan during the course of the country's enmity with its neighbour.

Earlier this year Kulbhushan Yadav, a serving Indian navy officer, was arrested from Balochistan while spying for RAW.

Another high-profile Indian spy caught in Pakistan was Ravindra Kaushik (1952–1999), who was sent across the border in 1975 on a mission after extensive training in Delhi for two years. He had kept on passing valuable information to RAW from 1979 to 1983.

In September 1983, Indian intelligence agencies had sent a low-level operative, Inayat Masih, to get in touch with Kaushik. But the agent was caught by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and had revealed Kaushik's true identity during probe.