ISLAMABAD: The arrested agent of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), who is a serving Indian Navy officer, has confessed to his involvement in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan province and the port city of Karachi, according to a six-minute ‘voluntary’ confessional video statement of Kulbhushan Yadav aired at a joint press briefing by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa.
It is for the first time that Pakistan has arrested a serving officer of the Indian security forces working for RAW inside its territory. In past, Pakistan did arrest many an operative of RAW but never ever a serving officer of the rank of a lieutenant colonel has been nabbed. Areas of Gwadar, Pasni, Jevani and other places in Balochistan were the target of the agent who wanted to sabotage future projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through subversive activities.
The DG ISPR said the arrested agent would lure Baloch students to use them in anti-national and destabilising activities by offering them a lot of money. He said the agent was either involved or had information about many terror acts, including Mehran Base attack, bomb blast in Gwadar, SSP Aslam Chauhadry’s murder, Tiger Force’s constitution and Baloch nationalists’ terrorist activities. “He was given the task to attack a five-star hotel in Gwadar where Chinese national working on the seaport use to stay,” he said.
Terming the rare capture of a serving Indian Navy officer working as RAW agent a big success, he said the arrest was a solid proof of Indian hand in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. “Yadav is a serving Indian naval officer and we have irrefutable evidence to prove it,” he said and added that Yadav, who pretended to be a converted Muslim, worked in the coastal city of Gadani in Balochistan under the cover of a scrap dealer. He got prepared his fake documents and shifted from India to Chah Bahar in Iran several years ago and established his base there.
To a question regarding alleged facilitation by Iran’s spy agency to help Yadav cross into Pakistan, the ISPR DG said it has never been said that the Iranian intelligence or state was involved in his reaching Pakistan. “We can’t claim that Iran is involved. But if their soil has been used, we request them not to allow such activities in future. And they have endorsed our viewpoint and assured us that they will not let it happen again.”
The DG ISPR said Pakistan and Iran had been in contact at the level of intelligence agencies and “we have been sharing information with each other”. He said during meeting between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, we urged Iran not to let India use its territory for subversive activities against Pakistan. Issue of fortifying Pak-Iran border was also discussed in the meeting, he added.
“This is also a violation of the UN Charter,” Bajwa said. “All possible steps should be taken to take up this issue at the international forums,” he added, throwing the ball in the court of the civilian leadership. The ISPR DG said intelligence-based operations were being conducted in several parts of the country. He said that after the Lahore blast, five operations had been carried out jointly by intelligence agencies, Pakistan Army and Rangers. “Even at this moment, operations are being carried out in and around Rawalpindi and Multan,” he said, and added, “Wherever there are terrorists, we will go behind them.” Information Minister Pervez Rashid said the arrested Indian agent will be prosecuted under the law of the land. He said Pakistan had fulfilled its responsibility by conveying Yadav’s arrest to the Indian ambassador.