ISLAMABAD: In its official confirmation of the presence of Indian intelligence operatives at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the Foreign Office said on Thursday that it was disappointed with India for violating diplomatic norms and misusing its mission for espionage.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria, at a weekly media briefing, formally confirmed the information leaked to the media a day earlier.

“India has not only been found involved in promoting terrorist activities and financing terror outfits [in Pakistan]…, but has also been using its diplomatic mission for nefarious designs,” Mr Zakaria said. The ‘fate’ of the eight alleged operatives would be taken up by “relevant authorities”.

According to Indian media reports, Delhi has decided to pull out the eight officers whose identity has been compromised. The officials and their families are expected to leave Pakistan by Sunday.

The diplomats and staff members accused of espionage have been linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing and Intelligence Bureau. They were identified as: Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri (posted as commercial counsellor); Balbir Singh (posted as first secretary, press and information); Anurag Singh (working as first secretary, commercial); Amardeep Singh Bhatti (visa attache); Dhar­medra, Vijay Kumar Verma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar (visa assistants); and Jayabalan Senthil (assistant, personnel welfare office).

The charge-sheet against them reads: “Espionage, subversion and support of terrorist activities in Balochistan and Sindh, especially in Karachi; sabotaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and fuelling instability in the two provinces.” They are also accused of stirring unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The charge-sheet says the officials had, under the pretence of being involved in commercial activity, expanded their network of operatives and agents. They had leveraged their position as diplomats for ingress into influential circles to gather information and had damaged Pakistan-Afghan­istan relations through their activities.

“[They] infiltrated social, media and political circles for propaganda purposes and activities detrimental to Pakistan’s interests; fabricated evidence to portray Pakistani state as a sponsor of terrorism; handled various factions of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, instigated religious minorities and fuelled sectarianism.” The charge-sheet adds that they were also involved in activities detrimental to the Kashmir cause.

Commenting on the activities of the diplomatic staff, the FO spokesperson said it was “a grievous and deplorable development” that went against the accepted norms of conducting diplomatic relations.

Mr Zakaria revealed that Surjeet Singh, an Indian High Commission official who had been expelled last week, had acquired an employee card of a telecommunication services company by the name of Abdul Hafeez to conduct his activities. “Surjeet Singh was an Intelligence Bureau operative posted under Balbir Singh. He was pretending to be an employee at Warid Telecom,” said the spokesperson.

Surjeet Singh was declared persona non grata after Indian auth­o­rities sent back Mehmood Akhtar, a Pakistani High Commission em­­ployee, on allegations of espionage.

Before his expulsion, Mehmood Akhtar had been forced to record a video statement that showed him identifying six Pakistani High Commission personnel as undercover agents.

The Indian move had compelled Pakistan to withdraw six of its officers and staffers. “They (Indians) deliberately released the names of six other diplomats and diplomatic staff and falsely accused them. This has endangered their families’ lives and that of their own.”

Mr Zakaria said that they had been unable to perform their diplomatic duties and their families had been harassed. “We had to recall them for their safety,” he explained.

India’s actions were a violation of diplomatic norms and the code of conduct of maintaining relations between two sovereign states, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2016