India on Thursday rejected allegations against its diplomats working in Islamabad whom Pakistan has alleged to be Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) undercover agents having links with militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A day after Pakistan made public names and photographs of the eight Indian diplomats, New Delhi termed the charges as baseless and an afterthought, while raising concerns over their safety. India has asked Pakistan to increase their security.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said though their return to India is a matter of procedure, the Government will take all necessary steps, keeping all aspects of the situation in view.
“We completely reject the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations made by Pakistan against certain officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The Government categorically denies the allegations. It is especially regrettable that Pakistani authorities have chosen to level these allegations after deciding to recall, on their own, six officials of the Pakistan High Commission, some of whom may have been named to Indian authorities by Mehmood Akhtar, the Pakistan High Commission official caught red-handed last week while indulging in anti-India activities. The allegations against the Indian officials represent an afterthought and a crude attempt to target these officials for no fault of theirs,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
The official added that the named Indian officials were working in the fields of promoting people-to-people and trade and economic contacts between the two countries and such false allegations against them have the potential to adversely affect the corresponding activities of the High Commission.
India has also strongly protested the manner in which names and photos of these eight Indian officials, four of them holders of diplomatic passports, have been published.
“This is against basic norms of diplomatic practice and courtesy. Moreover, the allegations against the Indian officials are prejudicial to their safety and security. We expect the Government of Pakistan to take all necessary steps to ensure the security and safety of not only these eight diplomats and officials but all other members of the High Commission and their families while they are in Pakistan,” Swarup said.
The Pakistan Foreign Office has named Commercial Counselor Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri as the RAW station chief and First Secretary, Commercial Anurag Singh, Visa Attaché Amardeep Singh Bhatti, staffers Dharmendra Sodhi, Vijay Kumar Verma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar as other suspected RAW agents.
It also mentioned First Secretary, Press and Information Balbir Singh as suspected IB station chief and Jayabalan Senthil, Assistant Personnel Welfare Officer, as another IB undercover agent.
Pakistan also claimed that the Indian High Commission officials were handling TTP factions and were involved in “espionage, subversion and supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan and Sindh, especially Karachi, sabotaging China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and fuelling instability in the two provinces.” However, all the 14 allegations leveled against them are vague and do not give any specifics about their involvement and presence in any anti-Pakistan activities.
Swarup said that Pakistan’s step adds to the risk to peace and security in the region “emanating from Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism against its neighbours, its complete denial of the problem and deflection of its responsibility by resorting to fanciful accusations”.
Meanwhile, India denied Pakistani allegations of Indian security forces targeting its civilians. Swarup said Indian security forces neither initiate a ceasefire violation nor do they target civilians. “They retaliate in a very calibrated and restrained manner when either their defensive posts or personnel are targeted or cover fire is provided by the Pakistan Army to allow infiltrators to cross the line of Control. We completely reject Pakistan’s allegations of any unprovoked firing by our forces,” he said.
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan on killing of its civilians in shelling by Pakistan forces, saying in several districts along the International Border and loC, normal life has been affected, people have been displaced and over 100 schools have been closed.
“I would also like to remind that approximately two-thirds of the ceasefire violations this year by Pakistan have taken place in the last five weeks,” Swarup added.