Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General Aftab Sultan, while speaking in the Senate standing committee meeting on Tuesday, said a large number of terrorists arrested during the last three years had connections with and were working for the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.

“Out of the 865 terrorists arrested during the last three years, a significant number had connections with India’s RAW and the Afghan NDS,” said the chief of intelligence agency.

The IB chief also said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is endangered by foreign intelligence agencies and anti-state elements.

Replying to a question regarding missing persons during the Senate sub-committee’s meeting, Sultan stated that the IB was conducting 478 inquiries for missing persons, out of which 427 inquiries have been completed.

Jadhav's arrest

Earlier in March, law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of Kulbushan Jadhav, saying he had been picked up during an intelligence-based raid in Balochistan's Chaman area.

The Indian Foreign Ministry earlier had 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.

Jadhav's confessions

In a confessional video aired by the Inter-Services Public Relations and Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed at a joint press conference, Jadhav said: "I am still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement in 2022."

"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."

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".