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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally asked the Iranian government for pro-active support in dismantling the Indian intelligence network that is said to be operating from Chabahar.
The letter from the interior ministry — sent to Iran through its embassy in Islamabad — was written following the revelations made by Commander Kulbhushan Jhadav alias Hussain Mubarik Patel, the Indian naval officer and self-confessed agent of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Jhadav was arrested from the Musakhel area of Balochistan on March 3 and the information gleaned from him was laid before the media — in the form of a video interview — by ISPR chief Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa and Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid at a press conference in the capital on Tuesday.
Written by Interior Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan, the letter stated Jhadav had revealed that he was based in Chabahar, under the cover of a businessman dealing in jewellery and that he was assisted by other RAW personnel, including Sub-Inspector Rakesh alias Rizwan. The letter also contains the address of a shop supposedly run by these RAW operatives in a mall in Chabahar.
Letter written by interior ministry says Kulbhushan Jhadav had a valid Iranian visa
Through the formal communiqué, seen by Dawn, Pakistan has demanded that Rakesh alias Rizwan be arrested immediately and handed over to Pakistan for interrogation. In addition, it asks Tehran to verify Jhadav’s activities; provide records of his stay in Iran, including the cities he visited and for how long; a record of the people he had been interacting with; and details of RAW networks on Iranian soil as well as any other related details.
“Assistance will not only further strengthen the brotherly relations between the two countries, but would also greatly reduce incidents of terrorism and unrest in the region. Activities by state-sponsored actors using Iranian territory could undermine the existing peaceful environment prevailing in the Pakistan-Iran border area,” the letter read.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti had confirmed the arrest of an Indian spy on March 25. “The arrest has proved Indian involvement in Balochistan,” Mr Bugti had said.
The minister had claimed last year that RAW and the Afghan National Directorate of Security were funding and training militants of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA).
RAW on Iranian soil
The letter sent to the Iranian embassy on Wednesday stated that Jhadav was in possession of a valid Indian passport with a valid Iranian visa and claimed that he crossed over to Musakhel, Balochistan, from Saravan (Iran) along with some militants from Balochistan.
The agent also made startling revelations regarding the existence of a potent RAW network operating against Pakistan from Iranian soil. The spy revealed that his mission included espionage and sabotage, in addition to fomenting insecurity and instability in Sindh and Balochistan.
“India has officially denied its involvement in Balochistan. However, the evidence in this case stands confirmed by Jhadav’s arrest,” the letter states.
It said that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan raised the issue of Indian saboteurs using Iran’s soil with the visiting Iranian dignitaries who accompanied President Hassan Rouhani to Islamabad last week. Attention was drawn, in particular, to the issue of intrusions from Iran and the involvement of such elements in inciting terrorism.
“It is imperative to address the issue at the highest level in Iran. This pertains to the security and sovereignty of both Iran and Pakistan. Pakistan expects Iran to seriously look at Islamabad’s assertions and take every step to stem incursion of Indian spies into Pakistan’s territory,” the letter said.
Iranian rejoinder
Separately, the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad issued a statement on Thursday deploring reports in the Pakistani media regarding the detention of an Indian agent and matters related to the development.
Saying that this could have negative implications on the fraternal and friendly atmosphere of Iran-Pakistan ties, the statement said: “Naturally, elements who are not happy over the promotion of ties between Iran and Pakistan would try... by spreading undignified contents, and sometimes offensive, to fade out the significant achievements during the visit of Dr Rouhani... and undermine the flourishing ties between Iran and Pakistan.”
“Security of Iran is security of Pakistan and security of Pakistan is security of Iran,” the statement said, adding that such news items were the product of an ideology that does not like the expansion of ties between the two countries.
Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2016
