Indian spies’ arrest in Qatar confirms ‘espionage network’ abroad

FO spokesperson points to 2016 arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav as significant example

ISLAMABAD:

The Foreign Office on Thursday shed light on the recent arrest of Indian spies in Qatar, saying that it is concrete evidence of New Delhi's involvement in espionage and sabotage networks operating in various countries, especially in the Middle East and other regions.

At a weekly news briefing, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch underscored Pakistan's longstanding concerns about the Indian sabotage network and espionage activities.

She also noted reports of death sentences handed down to Indian Navy officers in Qatar, which had sent shockwaves through India's Ministry of External Affairs.

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The FO spokesperson pointed to the 2016 arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, a senior Indian Navy officer, on charges of sabotage and espionage within Pakistan, as a significant example of such activities.

Qatar's recent court verdict sentenced eight former Indian Navy officials to death on serious espionage charges, accusing them of spying for Israel and working for the Indian intelligence agency, RAW. They were reportedly caught carrying out espionage activities in Qatar, providing Israel with details of Qatar's secret programme to purchase advanced submarines from Italy.

Further, Mumtaz mentioned the continued atrocities committed by Indian forces in the occupied region of Kashmir, leading to casualties among Kashmiri civilians.

On the topic of deportation of illegal aliens, Mumtaz informed the media that the implementation of a plan aimed at repatriating illegal immigrants from Pakistan had commenced in recent days.

She clarified that the repatriation plan specifically targeted migrants living in Pakistan without proper documentation and did not encompass refugees.

The interior ministry was investigating reports of alleged mistreatment of Afghan nationals, she added.
Mumtaz strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza, referring to them as intolerable and tantamount to war crimes.

Read More: India's spies infiltrated West long before Canada's murder claim

She urged the international community to intervene and halt the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine, emphasising the need for the United Nations to advocate for an end to the siege, cessation of bombing, and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

The FO spokesperson shared that the interior ministry was addressing the issue of 12,000 counterfeit passports recovered in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabian authorities recently disclosed the recovery of over 12,000 Pakistani passports from Afghan nationals, allegedly procured through multiple passport centres operating within Pakistan. The Ministry of Interior constituted a high-level committee to scrutinise the matter.

Read More: Eight ex-Indian Navy officials sentenced to death in Qatar over espionage

On other diplomatic matters, Mumtaz mentioned that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar was scheduled to attend the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on November 8 and 9. During the conference, the interim PM would present Pakistan's vision for the future of the ECO and mutual engagement.

The news briefing highlighted Pakistan's concerns and actions on various international issues, underlining the nation's commitment to address matters of regional and global importance.