ISLAMABAD: Continu­ing its diplomatic offensive against India on spy agency RAW’s involvement in Pakistan, the Foreign Office briefed diplomats from Arab and Asean countries on Friday and called upon New Delhi to stop interference for regional peace and stability.

“The envoys of Arab countries and Asean-member states based in Islamabad were briefed today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the arrest of the RAW officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav, and his confession about Indian-sponsored subversive activities and terrorist financing to destabilise Pakis­tan,” the FO said in a statement.

Immediately after disclosure about Jadhav’s arrest, the FO had briefed diplomats from European Union countries and five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Pakistan has been drawing world’s attention to what it calls “the Indian state institutions’ involvement in conducting and supporting terrorist and separatist activities in Pakistan”.

Even before Jadhav’s arrest, dossiers containing “evidence” to back the allegations against India were presented to the United Nations and the United States last year.

While Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is India’s strategic partner, the briefing for Arab diplomats was important from the context that Delhi has begun developing closer ties with countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which are considered to be Pakistan’s closest allies.

During the briefing, the FO statement said, “it was emphasised that in order to achieve regional peace and stability, it was imperative that India immediately stops its interference in Pakistan and resolves all contentious issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, through the process of sustained dialogue”.

The diplomats were also reminded of “RAW using Iranian soil” for its activities in Balochistan.

At a briefing given to the Senate’s defence committee earlier this week, defence officials had alleged growing nexus between RAW and Afghan intelligence agency NDS for destabilising Pakistan. The committee was informed that RAW had established an office within the Afghan intelligence agency’s headquarters in Kabul, in addition to seven offices and stations alongside the Pak-Afghan border.

However, a senior Afghan diplomat, in a private discussion, dismissed the Pakistani allegations as “highly off the mark”. He said the allegations about RAW working with NDS to destabilise Pakistan were grossly exaggerated.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2016