India accused a Pakistani diplomat of spying and ordered
him expelled Thursday against a backdrop of heightened tensions
between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Police in New Delhi accused the official, Mahmood Akhtar, of
illegally collecting information about India’s security operations
on the countries’ tense border.
He was declared persona non grata for alleged "espionage
activities," India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said on his
official Twitter account. Mr. Akhtar must leave India by Saturday,
authorities said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday the allegations were
"false and unsubstantiated" and condemned what it called "the
detention and manhandling" of the official.
Diplomatic and military relations between India and Pakistan
have been deteriorating for weeks after a militant attack on an
Indian army base in September that New Delhi blamed on
Islamabad.
Indian police said Thursday that Mr. Akhtar, who worked as an
assistant to Pakistan’s trade counselor in the embassy in New
Delhi, had been recruiting Indian informants for 18 months and
obtained from them details about the deployment of security forces
on the border, including maps and staffing lists.
Mr. Akhtar was detained Wednesday at a New Delhi zoo where he
was collecting "sensitive documents pertaining to national
security" from two of his Indian associates, said India’s Foreign
Ministry spokesman, Vikas Swarup. Mr. Akhtar—a former Pakistani
soldier who reported to the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence
agency, according to police—was taken to a police station for
questioning and later released after he invoked diplomatic
immunity.
Police said they arrested the two Indian men, who they claimed
were part of Mr. Akhtar’s network. One is a teacher in a mosque in
the border state of Rajasthan and the other is a struggling
businessman, according to a senior Indian police official, who
declined to provide details on how these men allegedly obtained
sensitive documents and information.
The latest diplomatic incident comes as relations between India
and Pakistan have become increasingly strained.
India accuses Pakistan of providing training and logistical
support to militants who cross the border into India to carry out
attacks. Islamabad denies the allegations.
In response to last month’s assault on an army base, in which 19
Indian soldiers were killed, the Indian army launched what it
called "surgical strikes" on militants in territory controlled by
Pakistan. Islamabad rejected India’s claims, saying Indian troops
didn’t cross over to its side. The countries’ heavily militarized
frontier has been tense since, as their armed forces have
frequently exchanged cross-border fire.
The expulsion of Mr. Akhtar takes place as New Delhi seeks
consular access to an Indian man, Kulbhushan Yadav, whom Pakistan
arrested seven months ago, claiming he is an Indian naval officer
and a spy trying to destabilize parts of the country.
New Delhi has denied that Mr. Yadav was working for the Indian
government. India’s Foreign Ministry said he had retired from the
navy and ran a business in Iran, from where he may have been
abducted. Pakistan has denied Indian requests for consular access
to Mr. Yadav, who hasn’t been charged.