NEW DELHI: In reminiscent of 1990s and a plot straight out of Bollywood flicks, a Pakistan Embassy staffer wielding a fake Indian Identity card was caught red handed on Thursday while receiving secret security-related documents. New Delhi acted promptly by expelling him and asking Pakistan Embassy officials to refrain from indulging in activities “inimical” to India’s interests.
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Thursday morning and was informed that India had intercepted an official of Pakistan High Commission in the pursuit of the espionage and he was being declared “persona non grata”.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that the espionage ring was busted as a result of intelligence sleuths tailing Mehmood Akhtar, who has been posted in Pakistan High Commission since September 2013, for the last six months. He has been recruited the 40 Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army in 1997 and later came on deputation to Pakistan’s spy agency - Inter Service Intelligence (ISI). In Pakistan High Commission he was working as Assistant to Counsellor (Trade) Farukh Habib.
“In keeping with the accepted norms for treatment of members of the Diplomatic Mission, he was treated with utmost courtesy and handed over to a diplomat of the Pakistan High Commission soon thereafter,” MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. India has asked Akhtar and his family to leave India in 48 hours i.e. by October 29.
“The Foreign Secretary also strongly conveyed to the Pak High Commissioner that the Pak High Commission must ensure that none of its members indulge in activities inimical to India, or behave in a manner that is incompatible with their diplomatic status,” Swarup added.
Pakistan has, however, termed the incident as an Indian action accompanied by an “extremely negative and orchestrated media campaign”. Rejecting Indian claims a statement by Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the charges against his staff member were unsubstantiated.
Investigators have recovered sensitive defence documents on the deployments and strength of the Border Security Force and the Indian Army along the India-Pakistan border, especially in Gujarat and the Sir Creek area, from the accused. So far 15 people have already been arrested from across the country.
Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav, who headed the team that unearthed the espionage ring, stated that around four to five more spies are absconding. Two residents of Rajasthan, Maulana Ramzan and Sohaib Nagaur, involved in the network were identified and arrested for passing on secret information and documents in lieu of money to Akhtar.
Initially Akhtar tried to pass off as an Indian citizen showing a fake Aadhar card indentifying him as Mehmood Rajput from Rajasthan. However, following sustained interrogation he broke down and revealed his actual identity as a staffer in the Pakistan High Commission of Delhi.
“This was verified through Ministry of External Affairs and after confirmation and as per the due procedures, he was handed over to the Pakistan High Commission diplomats in presence of MEA representative,” Yadav said.
Earlier in 2003 the then top Pakistani diplomat in India and the present Pakistan High Commissioner to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani, was expelled from New Delhi after he was allegedly found supplying cash to the Hurriyat leadership. It was one of its kinds of incident as it is rare that a country’s chief of mission is asked to pack up his bags and leave.
