Pakistan captures ‘Indian spy’ in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan made an official protest to India Friday after detaining a man it says is an Indian spy who illegally entered the country and was captured Thursday in the violence-plagued province of Balochistan. India's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Pakistan's foreign secretary had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad but denied the man is a spy. "The said individual has no link with the Government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy," the spokesman said in a statement. "We have sought consular access to him." Tensions are already high between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a January attack on an Indian air base, in which seven military personnel were killed. "(Pakistan) conveyed our protest and deep concern on the illegal entry into Pakistan by an RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday, referring to a message conveyed to India's ambassador. RAW is India's Research and Analysis Wing, the country's main external intelligence agency. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Friday said the arrest of RAW agent from Balochistan was a very serious matter. In a statement, carried by the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), he said the arrest proved Pakistan's stance, that foreign hand was involved in sabotaging peace in Balochistan. The minister said that no country should take Pakistan's efforts for regional peace and friendship as its weakness. Pakistan says India is supporting rebels in the resource-rich Balochistan province, as well as militants fighting the state from the lawless tribal areas. It also sees India as fuelling strife in the volatile city of Karachi. India denies any such interference and has itself accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants to launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan says it only offers diplomatic support to the Muslims of Kashmir living under “heavy-handed Indian rule”. It denies backing militant attacks in India. A Pakistani military official in Balochistan told Reuters the alleged RAW spy was an Indian navy officer. Another Pakistani official gave the same information. Both declined to be identified because they were not authorized to give details of the incident to the media. One of the officials said the man had been moved to Islamabad for interrogation. Balochistan's provincial interior minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, told reporters that the arrest "proved Indian involvement" in his province. Last year Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the RAW was determined on annihilating Pakistan. "RAW has been formed to undo Pakistan and to wipe Pakistan off the map," Asif said in a television interview.