India poured scorn on the video confessions of an alleged spy shown by Pakistan on Tuesday, claiming the man was tutored and that he might have been abducted from Iran.
“We have seen a video released by Pakistani authorities of a former Indian naval officer, doing business in Iran, who is in Pakistani custody under unexplained circumstances,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
It said the individual’s televised statements had no basis in fact. “That the individual claims to make the statements of his own free will not only challenges credulity but clearly indicates tutoring.”
The Indian statement stressed that despite New Delhi’s request, Indian consular officials were not allowed to meet him.
“We have not been given consular access to an Indian national under detention in a foreign country, as is the accepted international practice. We are naturally concerned about his wellbeing in these circumstances.” The comment appeared to deny the man was a spy, underscoring he was an ordinary citizen eligible for consular help.
“Government categorically rejects allegations that this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our behest. Our enquiries reveal that he apparently was being harassed while operating a legitimate business from Iran,” the statement said.
“While we probe this aspect further, his presence now in Pakistan raises questions, including the possibility of his abduction from Iran. This would become clear only if we are given consular access to him and we urge the Government of Pakistan to respond immediately to our request.
”Interrogation of the arrested Indian intelligence operative Kulbhushan Yadav revealed he had been imparting Naval fighting training to Baloch separatists in an attempt to target Pakistani ports, a security official who declined to be named said on Sunday.
Yadav, who was arrested in Balochistan, is believed to be a member of Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
The Indian Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed the arrested man was a former Indian Navy officer, but the Pakistani government claimed to have recovered travel documents and multiple fake identities of Yadav, establishing him as an Indian spy who entered into Balochistan through Iran — holding a valid Iranian visa.
After his arrest, Yadav was shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, during which it was revealed that he had purchased boats at the Iranian port in Chabahar in order to target Karachi and Gwadar ports in a terrorist plot, the official said, adding that the 'RAW agent' is believed to be expert at Naval fighting techniques.
Yadav was also transporting 'anti-state elements' from Pakistan to New Delhi for training by RAW, he said.
Following recent revelations by the 'Indian spy', security has been tightened across Balochistan, especially at the shared borders with Iran and Afghanistan, and more arrests are expected, he said.
After his arrest, Pakistan summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to lodge a strong protest over 'India's spying activities' in Balochistan and Karachi.
The arrest of the 'RAW agent' comes just days before a possible meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.
Indian media reports claim the foreign secretaries of both countries, whose meeting to restart the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) in January was derailed by the Pathankot attack, are also due to meet in Washington.
At the beginning of March, Aziz had said that foreign-secretary levels talks would resume after the probe team's visit. The Pathankot Joint Investigation Team left for New Delhi on Sunday (today) and is expected to investigate the attack over the next week.
Pakistan and India had agreed to resume peace talks under the newly-coined phrase of CBD during Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad for the Heart of Asia Conference last year.
The dialogue was to take on matters related to peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial cooperation, counter-terrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues, people to people exchanges and religious tourism.
