Pak rubbishes spying claims, expels Indian Embassy official in retaliation
Islamabad: Hours after India expelled Pakistan High Commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar for espionage and asked him to leave the country, Pakistan has 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 has conveyed Surjeet's expulsion to Indian embassy in Pakistan.
Read: Pakistan spy racket: Involvement of BSF men not ruled out
A communique from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over Indian official's activities that allegedly violated of 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 has been asked to leave the country by 29th October 2016.
Read: Pakistan summons Indian envoy over 'ceasefire violations'
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.
Read: Spies stumble out of Pak embassy, 1 asked to leave India, 1 detained
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).
Asserting that terror has become the "central motive" in India's interactions with Pakistan, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said it was important that Pakistan takes action to honour various commitments it has made, including at the highest level, that it will dismantle the terror infrastructure and will not allow its soil to be used for such activities against any country, including India.
In retaliation, Islamabad however condemned India's declaring Pakistan's High Commission staff member as persona non-grata and stated the action is a violation of the Vienna Convention signed in 1961.
Islamabad alleged that the Indian government lifted the staff member 'on false and unsubstantiated charges' and rejected and condemned the detention and manhandling the official.
Pakistan envoy to India, Abdul Basit, also denied the accusations of espionage, saying Islamabad never indulges in activities that are incompatible with its diplomatic status.
Basit strongly protested with Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar over the detention and manhandling of the staffer.
