Two Pakistan High Commission officials expelled from India for spying return home

Two undercover agents of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) left India on Monday, a day after their cover was blown by a joint operation by police and counter-espionage agencies in New Delhi.

Abid Hussain and Muhammad Tahir were living in New Delhi under the guise of consular officials of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi. They left early in the morning on Monday and crossed over to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border between India and its western neighbour in the evening.

New Delhi on Sunday declared both Hussain and Tahir as “Persona Non-Grata” and asked Pakistan to withdraw them from India within 24 hours.

Also Read: India expels two officials of Pakistan High Commission for spying

The government expelled Hussain and Tahir as a probe by the police and counter-espionage agencies found them to be ISI agents and involved in espionage in India under the guise of consular officials of Pakistan. They were apprehended by the law-enforcement agencies from Karolbagh in New Delhi on Sunday “for indulging in espionage activities”.

New Delhi’s move irked Islamabad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of the Pakistan Government summoned acting High Commissioner of India in Islamabad, Gaurav Ahluwalia, late at night on Sunday and served him a demarche, protesting against expulsion of Hussain and Tahir. Pakistan rejected what it called “the baseless allegation” against the two officials of its High Commission in the capital of India.

“We condemn the detention and torture as well as threatening and pressuring of the diplomatic officials to accept false charges,” the MoFA of Pakistan Government said in a press release issued in Islamabad. It also described the action by the Government of India as a “clear violation” of the 1961 “Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations” as well as the “norms of diplomatic conduct”.

Also Read: Pakistan summons senior Indian diplomat over the expulsion of 2 High Commission officials on espionage charges

Islamabad claimed that the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi had always worked within the parameters of international law and diplomatic norms. “The Indian action is clearly aimed at shrinking diplomatic space for the working of Pakistan High Commission,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the neighbouring country’s government said in Islamabad.

It accused New Delhi of trying to escalate the tension between India and Pakistan to divert attention from the “ongoing internal and external issues faced by” the Central government or “from the worsening situation and gross human rights violations being perpetrated” in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hussain and Tahir were caught red-handed by the police from Karolbagh in Delhi when they were obtaining documents related to the security establishment of India. They were obtaining the documents from an Indian, whom they gave money and an I-phone.