Tehran wants Islamabad to send formal reference for investigation into RAW's presence at Chabahar port

ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) - While investigators continue to look into the presence of Indian intelligence agency RAW in Balochistan, Islamabad has decided to send a formal reference to Tehran to request an investigation in to RAW's presence at Chabahar port and its involvement in Pakistan using Iranian soil.

According to media reports, the decision to send the formal request was taken after a meeting between Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and his Iranian counterpart -during the visit of President Hassan Rouhani.

Officials said that matter related to arrest of RAW officer Kulbhushan Yadav was taken up in the meeting, at which Iranian Home Minister asked Nisar Ali Khan to send and official reference to Tehran in this regard. Iran will only address Pakistani concerns about RAW's presence at Chabahar port if Islamabad would formally raise this issue with Tehran, he said.

Now, in the light of this discussion, Islamabad is preparing a dossier comprising of several questions related to Yadav's activities in Pakistan and Iran. The reference expected to be forwarded to Tehran this week.

Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said that arrest of RAW agent from Balochistan was a very serious matter which had proved Pakistan’s stance, that foreign hand was involved in sabotaging peace in Balochistan.

Interior Minister categorically said that no country should consider Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and friendship as its weakness.

Interior Minister said a detailed investigation was yet to be conducted and the government would also seek help from Iran in that regard.

He said that Pakistani secret agencies efforts were commendable. With their efforts, the network of country’s enemy was dismantled, he added.

On Thursday, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti had informed the newsmen that the captured RAW officer was active in Balochistan with an aim to destabilise Pakistan. Maps of different installations and sites were also recovered from his possession.

The minister did not reveal the location of Bhushan’s arrest. However, sources said that Bhushan was arrested from Chaman area of Balochistan, which is close to the Afghanistan border.

Resident of Mumbai, Bhushan Yadavis got commission in Indian Navy in 1991 and was working under the name of Hussain Mubarak Patel.

Yadav joined the Research Analysis Wing in 2013, before he served the Indian naval intelligence in the past.

He many a times sneaked into Balochistan via Iran’s port Chahbahar, on Iranian visa. His passport number is L9630722 that also mentions his date of birth, April 16, 1970. His father’s name is Sudhir Yadav, and his two children and wife live with his parents in Mumbai.

During preliminary interrogation, the India spy confessed to have been in contact with separatist groups and religio-militant organisations operating in Karachi and Balochistan.

Kulbhushan Yadav also confessed to security agencies that he was hosted in Kabul by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security. A senior officer of Afghan intelligence agency had arranged his meeting with Baloch separatist Dr Allah Nazar.

Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that Indian spy agencies have been providing support to militants in Balochistan and other sectarian extremists.

In the past Pakistan had provided proof of Indian support of terrorism to the Indian authorities in a high-level meeting at Sharm-el-Shaikh, and also provided proof of the same at the United Nations more recently.