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New Delhi: Pakistan could ask at least half-a-dozen officials working in the Indian high commission in Islamabad to leave the country for alleged involvement in subversive activities, Pakistani media reports said on Wednesday.
The tit-for-tat move comes after Pakistan on Wednesday withdrew six of its diplomats from its high commission in India, according to a PTI report. At least four of them were named for involvement in espionage activities by Pakistani high commission official Mehmood Akhtar, who was detained by Indian police last week. Akhtar was intercepted as he was receiving sensitive documents from his Indian contacts in New Delhi. He was expelled from the country.
According to Delhi police, Akhtar, a former soldier in the Pakistani army, was a recruit of the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.
There were no immediate official comments from spokespersons of either country. The reported recall and expulsion of diplomats has further strained already tense relations between the countries over Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism and its accusations against India of alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner, Syed Haider Shah, was summoned to the external affairs ministry on Wednesday and told of India’s “grave concern and strong protest” at the escalation in ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the Line of Control and the international border, which have resulted in fatalities and casualties on the Indian side among civilians and security forces personnel, India said in a statement.
Meanwhile, people familiar with the developments said seven Indian diplomats (first graf says half-a-dozen), whose names were leaked to Pakistani media, could be asked to leave their posts.
A Twitter post by Islamabad-based Pakistani journalist Mateen Haider said, “five more #Indians diplomats based in #Islamabad detected as undercover officers of Indian #intelligence agencies likely to be expelled.”
Accusations of spying and espionage activities are routinely levelled by India and Pakistan against each other’s diplomats and staffers. Expulsions of staffers and sometimes even diplomats are also routine, though the frequency had come down in the recent years.
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Adding to the already bitter bilateral ties, five Indian diplomats in Pakistan are likely to be expelled for allegedly being part of a spy ring, media reports citing sources said on Wednesday.
According to Geo News, Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri, Commercial Counsellor in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, has been identified as a "RAW station chief", while Balbir Singh, the First Secretary Press Information, has been identified as an officer of the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Geo named Amarjeet Singh Bhatti who is working as a visa attache, Vijay Kumar and Mundhawan Nanda Kumar, who are stationed at the Indian High Commission, are said to be agents of the Research and Analysis Wing, it said quoting sources.
Quoting sources, the report said, the five were "reportedly running a network of individuals involved in subversive activities in Pakistan".
Geo quoted a source as saying that recently expelled Indian diplomat Surjeet Singh "was also a part of Balbir's network".
"Balbir Singh was helping the Indian IB operatives to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan," it further added.
Wednesday's development comes amid reports that six officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi have been expelled for alleged spying.
Last week, Pakistan had declared Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh persona non grata and given him 48 hours to leave the country. Singh's expulsion followed that of a Pakistani High Commission official in New Delhi, Mehboob Akhtar, on charges of working for the Inter-Services Intelligence spy wing.
In March, Pakistan said it had arrested a "serving Indian naval intelligence officer" Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan for allegedly working for RAW.
Relations between the two rivals have been strained since the past few months, following the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot air base, which India bas blamed on terrorists from Pakistan, and the long unrest in Kashmir Valley, which India has accused Pakistan of fomenting.
The September 18 terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 19 soldiers dead has flared tensions, an attack that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
India has said it carried out "surgical strikes" on terror launch pads in Pakistan as retribution
The tit-for-tat move comes after Pakistan on Wednesday withdrew six of its diplomats from its high commission in India, according to a PTI report. At least four of them were named for involvement in espionage activities by Pakistani high commission official Mehmood Akhtar, who was detained by Indian police last week. Akhtar was intercepted as he was receiving sensitive documents from his Indian contacts in New Delhi. He was expelled from the country.
According to Delhi police, Akhtar, a former soldier in the Pakistani army, was a recruit of the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.
There were no immediate official comments from spokespersons of either country. The reported recall and expulsion of diplomats has further strained already tense relations between the countries over Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism and its accusations against India of alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner, Syed Haider Shah, was summoned to the external affairs ministry on Wednesday and told of India’s “grave concern and strong protest” at the escalation in ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the Line of Control and the international border, which have resulted in fatalities and casualties on the Indian side among civilians and security forces personnel, India said in a statement.
Meanwhile, people familiar with the developments said seven Indian diplomats (first graf says half-a-dozen), whose names were leaked to Pakistani media, could be asked to leave their posts.
A Twitter post by Islamabad-based Pakistani journalist Mateen Haider said, “five more #Indians diplomats based in #Islamabad detected as undercover officers of Indian #intelligence agencies likely to be expelled.”
Accusations of spying and espionage activities are routinely levelled by India and Pakistan against each other’s diplomats and staffers. Expulsions of staffers and sometimes even diplomats are also routine, though the frequency had come down in the recent years.
================================================================
Adding to the already bitter bilateral ties, five Indian diplomats in Pakistan are likely to be expelled for allegedly being part of a spy ring, media reports citing sources said on Wednesday.
According to Geo News, Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri, Commercial Counsellor in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, has been identified as a "RAW station chief", while Balbir Singh, the First Secretary Press Information, has been identified as an officer of the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Geo named Amarjeet Singh Bhatti who is working as a visa attache, Vijay Kumar and Mundhawan Nanda Kumar, who are stationed at the Indian High Commission, are said to be agents of the Research and Analysis Wing, it said quoting sources.
Quoting sources, the report said, the five were "reportedly running a network of individuals involved in subversive activities in Pakistan".
Geo quoted a source as saying that recently expelled Indian diplomat Surjeet Singh "was also a part of Balbir's network".
"Balbir Singh was helping the Indian IB operatives to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan," it further added.
Wednesday's development comes amid reports that six officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi have been expelled for alleged spying.
Last week, Pakistan had declared Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh persona non grata and given him 48 hours to leave the country. Singh's expulsion followed that of a Pakistani High Commission official in New Delhi, Mehboob Akhtar, on charges of working for the Inter-Services Intelligence spy wing.
In March, Pakistan said it had arrested a "serving Indian naval intelligence officer" Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan for allegedly working for RAW.
Relations between the two rivals have been strained since the past few months, following the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot air base, which India bas blamed on terrorists from Pakistan, and the long unrest in Kashmir Valley, which India has accused Pakistan of fomenting.
The September 18 terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 19 soldiers dead has flared tensions, an attack that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
India has said it carried out "surgical strikes" on terror launch pads in Pakistan as retribution
