Pak officer caught spying; envoy’s no

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 27

In the midst of heightened India-Pakistan tension, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar today summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and informed him that an official of the Pakistan High Commission had been declared persona non grata after being caught by the Delhi Police in an espionage case.

In tit-for-tat move, Pakistan later declared an official of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Surjeet Singh, as persona non grata and asked him and his family to leave the country by October 29. Pakistan said his activities were in violation of the Vienna Convention and established diplomatic norms. 

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The Delhi Police had earlier detained Mehmood Akhtar, a junior officer with the commission. He was in possession of sensitive defence documents, but because he enjoyed diplomatic immunity, the police later released him. 

The Ministry of External Affairs said Akhtar and his family had been asked to leave India within 48 hours. Sources said Basit protested the treatment meted out to the official and said his detention was in violation of the Vienna Convention. He rejected all allegations, saying the Pakistan High Commission never engaged in any activity incompatible with its diplomatic status.

Delhi Police had been tailing Akhtar for the past few months and arrested him near the Delhi Zoo. Three Indians, Maulana Ramzan, Subhash Jangir and Shoaib belonging to Rajasthan, have also been detained.  A Delhi court has remanded Ramzan and Jangir in 12-day police custody. 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement alleging this act was a reflection of Indian actions to shrink diplomatic space for the working of Pakistan High Commission. It said these were attempts by India to deflect international attention from human rights violations being conducted by the Indian Army in J&K Sources in the security agencies said Akhtar used to pay Rs 2,000 to Rs 2 lakh to identified agents to obtain information and papers from them. These agents were identified and hired by Pakistan’s ISI, they said.