New Delhi: Slamming Pakistan for expelling Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Friday said no justification had been provided by Pakistan for the action.
“No justification has been provided by Pakistan except completely baseless allegations that his activities were not in keeping with diplomatic norms,” Swarup said.
Calling it an ‘afterthought’, Swarup said the action had been taken only because India had caught an ISI spy and expelled him on Thursday.
“Pakistan continues to be in denial of its anti-India activities including cross border terrorism,” Swarup concluded.
Hours after India expelled Pakistan High Commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar for espionage and asked him to leave the country, Pakistan declared Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh persona non-grata (an unacceptable or unwelcome person), directing him to pack his bags.
According to reports, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry conveyed Surjeet's expulsion to Indian embassy in Pakistan.
A communiqué from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the Indian official's activities that allegedly violated Vienna Conventions norms.
The ministry has also asked the Indian Commission to make necessary arrangements for Surjeet Singh's deportation on an urgent basis. Singh was been asked to leave the country by 29th October 2016.
Earlier on Thursday, Delhi police had caught Pakistan High Commission official Mehmood Akhtar with sensitive defence documents, including those about deployment details of BSF along the Indo-Pak border.
The Foreign Secretary of India had strongly conveyed to the Pak High Commissioner that the Pak High Commission must ensure that none of its members indulge in activities inimical to India, or behave in a manner that is incompatible with their diplomatic status.
Akhtar had told the police that he had joined the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army in 1997 and came on deputation to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2013 and posted in September 2013 to the Pakistan High Commission where he is presently working as Assistant to Farukh Habib, Counsellor (Trade).
