ISLAMABAD: In a joint press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) head Lt Gen Asim Bajwa and Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid on Tuesday, a video of arrested Indian Navy officer Kulbushan Jadhav was aired in which he confessed to involvement in terror activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

Terming the Indian spy's arrest a 'big achievement', Bajwa said Jadhav was directly handled by the RAW chief, the Indian National Security Adviser and the RAW joint secretary.

"His goal was to disrupt development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with Gwadar port as a special target," Bajwa said, adding, "This is nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism... There can be no clearer evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan."

"If an intelligence or an armed forces officer of this rank is arrested in another country, it is a big achievement," Bajwa said, before going on to play a video of Jadhav confessing to Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) involvement in Balochistan separatist activities in Pakistan.


What we know so far about Kulbushan Jadhav:

  • He is the contact man for Anil Kumar Gupta, the joint secretary of RAW, and his other operatives in Pakistan
  • His was tasked to disrupt development of CPEC, with Gwadar port as a special target
  • Jadhav is still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement in 2022
  • He started carrying out intelligence based operations in 2002 and in 2003 established a small business in Chabahar, Iran
  • Jadhav directed various activities in Karachi and Balochistan at the behest of RAW
  • He was involved in activities of 'anti-national or terrorist nature'

In the video, Jadhav, who hails from Mumbai, said he had joined India's National Defence Academy in 1987 before going on to join the Indian Navy in 1991.

"I am still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement in 2022," he said.

"By 2002, I commenced intelligence operations. In 2003, I established a small business in Chabahar in Iran. As I was able to achieve undetected existence and visits to Karachi in 2003 and 2004 and, having done some basic assignments within India for RAW, I was picked up by RAW in 2013 end," Jadhav said.

Since then, he said he has been directing various activities in Karachi and Balochistan "at the behest of RAW", adding that he had played a role in the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi.

"I am basically the man for Mr Anil Kumar Gupta who is the joint secretary of RAW and his contacts in Pakistan," he said, "especially in the Baloch student organisation". His purpose was to meet Baloch insurgents and carry out "activities with their collaboration", he explained.

"These activities have been of anti-national or terrorist nature," he said, as they resulted in the "killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens".

Jadhav's arrest

Law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of Jadhav during an intelligence-based raid in Balochistan's Chaman last week.

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 Jadhav, establishing him as an Indian spy who entered into Balochistan through Iran — holding a valid Iranian visa.

Jadhav was shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, during which an unnamed official said the spy 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 had said the 'RAW agent' is believed to be expert at Naval fighting techniques.

After Jadhav's arrest, Pakistan summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to lodge a strong protest over 'India's spying activities' in Balochistan and Karachi.

Following revelations by the Indian spy, security was tightened across Balochistan, especially at the shared borders with Iran and Afghanistan.

Jadhav's arrest occurred just days before a possible meeting between the Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, whose meeting to restart the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) in January was derailed by the Pathankot attack.

At the beginning of March, foreign affairs adviser Sartaj 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.

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