New Delhi/Islamabad: India decided to withdraw eight officials from its mission in Islamabad on Wednesday, hours after Pakistan called back six of its officials from its high commission here following the recent exposure of an espionage racket. The Indian officials were accused of being spies and Pakistani media flashed their names.
India sees the charge as "retaliation" for its expulsion last week of a Pakistan high commission official, Mehmood Akhtar after he was caught receiving documents from Indian collaborators. The Pakistani officials, who were named by Akhtar as being part of the spy ring, flew out of Delhi this afternoon.
Soon after the plane left Indian airspace, Pakistan media named two Indian personnel - Rajesh Agnihotri and Balbir Singh - as "spies" and members of RAW and IB, respectively. A few hours later, Pakistani media was given a list of six other Indian officials, all accused of spying and involvement in terrorism. India will withdraw all eight in the next couple of days. The tit-for-tat expulsions further worsened the chill in India-Pakistan ties, which have been deteriorating since the jihadi attack on an Army camp at Uri and the Indian surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The events seem to underline that efforts to initiate any dialogue may see limited success. The Indian personnel returning from Pakistan include one counsellor, two first secretaries, one attache and four assistants. Akhtar, who was held near the Delhi zoo, where he had set up a rendezvous with two Rajasthan residents, had named at least four seniors whom he reported to. The two missions have been effectively downsized with bilateral relations on a downslide.
The detention last week of Akhtar and a video of his interrogation - where he named other officials - was deemed by Pakistan to be a provocation. So, while they withdrew six of their officials, Islamabad made sure that India would have to pull out more. The affected officials on both sides belong to the security services so their "outing" would have compromised them.
Earlier on Wednesday, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) also called in Pakistan deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah. In a statement, the MEA said, "He was conveyed the government's grave concern and strong protest at the recent escalation in the incidents of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan side at the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB), which have resulted in several fatalities and casualties on the Indian side among civilians and security forces personnel."
The summoning of Shah came a day after the Indian deputy high commissioner JP Singh was summoned for the same reason by the Pakistan foreign office. On Wednesday afternoon, Pakistani media reported that Rajesh Agnihotri, commercial counsellor at the Indian high commission in Pakistan, has been identified as the station chief of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), and Balbir Singh, first secretary press information, as an officer of the Indian intelligence bureau (IB).
According to Pakistani media, Agnihotri was reportedly running a network of individuals involved in subversive activities in Pakistan, while Singh was found involved in "destabilising the country through a network of IB operatives".
The recently expelled Indian diplomat, Surjeet Singh, was reportedly apart of Singh's network. Last week, Pakistan had declared Surjeet persona non grata and asked him to leave the country within 48 hours. The move came after India expelled Akhtar.
India sees the charge as "retaliation" for its expulsion last week of a Pakistan high commission official, Mehmood Akhtar after he was caught receiving documents from Indian collaborators. The Pakistani officials, who were named by Akhtar as being part of the spy ring, flew out of Delhi this afternoon.
Soon after the plane left Indian airspace, Pakistan media named two Indian personnel - Rajesh Agnihotri and Balbir Singh - as "spies" and members of RAW and IB, respectively. A few hours later, Pakistani media was given a list of six other Indian officials, all accused of spying and involvement in terrorism. India will withdraw all eight in the next couple of days. The tit-for-tat expulsions further worsened the chill in India-Pakistan ties, which have been deteriorating since the jihadi attack on an Army camp at Uri and the Indian surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The events seem to underline that efforts to initiate any dialogue may see limited success. The Indian personnel returning from Pakistan include one counsellor, two first secretaries, one attache and four assistants. Akhtar, who was held near the Delhi zoo, where he had set up a rendezvous with two Rajasthan residents, had named at least four seniors whom he reported to. The two missions have been effectively downsized with bilateral relations on a downslide.
The detention last week of Akhtar and a video of his interrogation - where he named other officials - was deemed by Pakistan to be a provocation. So, while they withdrew six of their officials, Islamabad made sure that India would have to pull out more. The affected officials on both sides belong to the security services so their "outing" would have compromised them.
Earlier on Wednesday, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) also called in Pakistan deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah. In a statement, the MEA said, "He was conveyed the government's grave concern and strong protest at the recent escalation in the incidents of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan side at the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB), which have resulted in several fatalities and casualties on the Indian side among civilians and security forces personnel."
The summoning of Shah came a day after the Indian deputy high commissioner JP Singh was summoned for the same reason by the Pakistan foreign office. On Wednesday afternoon, Pakistani media reported that Rajesh Agnihotri, commercial counsellor at the Indian high commission in Pakistan, has been identified as the station chief of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), and Balbir Singh, first secretary press information, as an officer of the Indian intelligence bureau (IB).
According to Pakistani media, Agnihotri was reportedly running a network of individuals involved in subversive activities in Pakistan, while Singh was found involved in "destabilising the country through a network of IB operatives".
The recently expelled Indian diplomat, Surjeet Singh, was reportedly apart of Singh's network. Last week, Pakistan had declared Surjeet persona non grata and asked him to leave the country within 48 hours. The move came after India expelled Akhtar.