Kulbhushan Yadav | |
---|---|
Born | Kulbhushan Yadav April 16, 1970 |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Naval officer (alleged) |
Parent | Sudhir Yadav (father) |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | India |
Service branch | Intelligence - RAW opperative (alleged) |
Service years | 2003—2016 (alleged) |
Rank | Commander (alleged) |
Codename | Monkey (alleged) |
Codename | Hussain Mubarak Patel (alleged) |
Military career | |
Service/ | Indian Navy |
Years of service | 1987—2003 |
Rank | Commander |
Kulbhushan Yadav [1][2] is an Indian National that was arrested in Balochistan, Pakistan, on 3rd March, 2016, over what local authorities have claimed is Illegal entry into Pakistan, using a fake passport. Federal authorities have since stated that they are charging the individual with Espionage related offences in Pakistan, further adding that they claim he is an active operative for the Research and Analysis Wing, a known Indian Intelligence agency, commonly refereed to as RAW.
Indian officials have denied he is working for the Indian Government agency RAW as a Spy, claiming since his premature retirement from Naval Services, he has been a Merchant based out of Chabahar in Iran, trading between the three countries.
Pakistani arrest of Yadav and espionage claims
On 3 March, 2016, Yadav was arrested in the border region of Chaman by local authorities, allegedly over entering Pakistan illegally via Iran and with a false passport. The Pakistani Authorities have claimed he is involved in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi, with the Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti claiming that Yadav was working for RAW, and was in contact with Baloch separatists, who are considered terrorists by Pakistani Authorities, further claiming Yadav was actively fuelling sectarian violence in the province. Bugti then added that Yadav was also financially supporting these separatists groups in the province.
Pakistani Authorities have also claimed, that under 'interrogation', Yadav has admitted he was helping the separatists in an attempt to target the sea ports of Gwadar and Karachi. Pakistani Authorities then claimed that Yadav, during interrogation, has given details about funding and allegedly outlined Indian plans to destabilise the country. They further claim that Yadav confirmed the presence of other operatives present in the southern metropolises of Pakistan.
During a joint conference held by the army and the government, a video was show, with what the Pakistani Authorities have refereed to as a confession by Yadav, and was made public for the first time - in direct contravention of the Geneva Conventions, specifically on the treatment of Enemy Combatants - and was shown to the local media, plus the few (western) foreign correspondents still reporting from inside Pakistan. Lieutenant-General Asim Bajwa of the Pakistani Inter-Services Public Relations has claimed at this press conference, that;
- Yadav had converted to Islam as part of his cover story;
- Yadav had adopted a false identity, and that he worked at Gadani as a scrap dealer as part of this False Identity;
- Yadav was sent (by India) to establish and train a network of operatives, to source funding for the separatists and arrange to smuggle 'terrorists' into Pakistan for the purpose of destabilising the country;
- Yadav told his 'interrogators' to use a code phrase - 'your monkey is with us' - in order to inform the Indian Authorities that he had been arrested;
- Bajwa then went onto claim to have confiscated maps from Yadav and to declare that:
"..there could be no clearer evidence of foreign interference in Pakistan, and the arrest of such a high ranking officer is a big achievement.."
Pakistani Authorities have outlined their claims as such:
That Yadav entered Chabahar with a visa stamped on a fake passport - numbered L9630722 - in 2003, where he then attained a new identity - Hussain Mubarak Patel born 30 August, 1968, in Maharashtra, India, and that his job was to destabilise Pakistan by strengthening a separatist movement in Balochistan and Karachi, a mission which allegedly Yadav began in 2013. They also claimed that Yadav was an expert at Naval fighting techniques due to his ex-naval status and current intelligence operative role for India.
They went on to allege that during his 'interrogation' Yadav has (apparently) admitted that when he was in the Khuzdar District he was in direct contact with Haji Baloch, in the city of Wadh, who is accused of providing financial and logistic support to both Baloch separatists and the 'so-called' ISIL or ISIS network that operates out of the former capital of Karachi. Yadav is further alleged to have claimed that the masterminds of the 2015 attack in Krachi - where gunmen shot dead 45 Ismaili passengers - were also in contact with Haji Baloch. Yadav allegedly added that he had met Baloch several times, to plan and co-ordinate sectarian violence, and further deteriorate the situation in Karachi and Sindh.
Asim Bajwa claimed that Yadav's 'goal' was to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through propaganda. He went on to further claim that Yadav considered the port of Gwadar as a 'special target' and to create disharmony among the Baloch nationalist political parties. Yadav had allegedly also purchased boats from the Iranian port in Chabahar, to target the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in 'terrorist' activities.
Indian reaction and counter-claims
India has confirmed that an Indian National named Kulbhushan Yadav had been arrested in Pakistan on 3 March, 2016. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs admitted that Yadav was a former Indian Naval Officer, who had attained the rank of Commander in the Engineering Branch, prior to his premature retirement from the Navy in 2003. They went on to claim that he was not an active member of the Indian Government, further adding that Yadav was not an active member of it's Defence Forces any more and to deny that he is a current member of it's Intelligence Services.
India Authorities have claimed that Pakistan has fabricated the documents, without ascertaining discrepancies, and that Pakistan has previously accused India of involvement in foreign espionage within Pakistani territory, specifically to further destabilise it's tribal regions. India has rejected the video confession as propaganda and under duress (torture). Union Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed:
"..it is a completely doctored video, fake video made by Pakistan. They are just cooking up stories and doctoring videos to defame India.."
Indian Authorities claim that Yadav retired early to operate a 'merchant cargo business' based in Iran, specifically out of the ports of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar. Rijiju also claimed that: {{quote|“..it appears that he strayed into Pakistani waters. But there is also a possibility that he was lured into Pakistan sometime back and fake documents were created on him by the Inter-Services Intelligence.."}
According to another, unnamed, Indian Official:
"..Jadhav may have been trapped by Pakistan authorities after they came to know of his background, it could be a planned operation to fabricate documents and later show the arrest from Chaman.."
In India, a section of their media have televised the, Official, Indian claim that they have sought consular access to assess their Nationals particulars and health as per the norm in Diplomatics Entourages, but that Pakistan denied it on the pretext of alleged involvement in 'terrorist' activities. The Pakistani High Commission briefed that:
"..no paperwork from India was received in this regard..", a claim India denied.
The New Indian Express has reported that:
"..according to Indian government sources, Yadav was lured into Pakistan and fake documents were created by the Inter-Services Intelligence.."
Iranian response to media
On 3 April, 2016, it was reported by the media in Pakistan and India, that Iran was investigating whether Yadav crossed the Pakistan-Iran border illegally. With the subsequent visit by the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, to Islamabad, the matter was officially raised by the Pakistani Authorities with the president about the incident.
Iran has declined to respond with any concrete commitment or with any form of confirmation or denial and has responded in the form of the president answering when asked about it that:
"..when ever Iran visits our brothers in Pakistan, these sorts of questions are always raised, it is nothing new.."
References
- ^ Salman Masood. "Pakistan releases a 'confession' video to the public". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ "Delhi denies arrest of Indian 'spy'". BBC Asia. Retrieved 30 March 2016.