News Analysis |
Pakistan’s foreign office has confirmed that Indian national Mr. Hamid Nehal Ansari was being released and repatriated to India. FO spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Faisal took to the Twitter and announced the decision.
#HamidNehalAnsari, an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India.
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) December 17, 2018
It is important to note that the FO spokesperson described Mr. Ansari as an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and been involved in “anti-state crimes and forging documents”. According to media reports, Mr. Ansari was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agencies in 2012. It is also reported that he was convicted by a Field General Court Martial on charges of espionage and anti-state activities on Dec 15, 2015. He had been sentenced to three years.
It is also claimed that the facts like the presence of Mr. Ansari in Afghanistan and then in Pakistan along with a fake CNIC demonstrate his hidden motives.
As a matter of fact, Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan observed on December 14th that the government departments should have made arrangements for deportation of Hamid Nehal Ansari before the completion of his prison term as keeping him in detention after that date would tarnish the image of the country. After the directives issued by the Peshawar High Court, the foreign office confirmed that arrangements were being made to release and repatriate Mr. Ansari.
It is interesting to mention here that Indian media claims Mr. Ansari to be innocent Indian national who fell in love with a Pakistani woman back in 2010. When Mr. Ansari came to know that his friend was in trouble and was being forced married against her will he then went to Afghanistan and then crossed the border and reached Kohat, Indian media claims. Mr. Ansari had a fake Pakistani Identity card which made him more suspicious and led to his arrest.
Read more: Indian Spy Drone Shot Down: ISPR
Pakistani authorities have rejected the Indian version of the story and maintained that the person was involved in anti-state activities in Pakistan which led to his arrest and sentence.
Pakistani analysts argue that the Indian-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan is now a fact. Kulbhushan Jadav, an Indian serving commander, was arrested on 3rd March 2016 from Pakistan’s province Baluchistan. Mr. Yadav has confessed to his crimes and said “my name is Commander Kulbhushan Yadav and I am the serving officer of Indian Navy. I am from the cadre of the engineering department of Indian Navy and my cover name was Hussein Mubarak Patel, which I had taken for doing some intelligence gathering for Indian agencies.”
He also highlighted his background and the activities he did as a spy. “I commenced intelligence operation in 2003 and established a small business in Chabahar in Iran as I was able to achieve undetected existence and visits to Karachi in 2003 and 2004 and having done some basic assignments within India for RAW”, he added.
It is interesting to mention here that Indian media claims Mr. Ansari to be innocent Indian national who fell in love with a Pakistani woman back in 2010.
Apart from the arrest of Mr. Jadav, Pakistani intelligence agencies claim that several terrorist activities that took place in Pakistan were sponsored by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The recent wave of terrorist attacks before the general elections in July was also reportedly had some nexus to the said Indian spy agency.
It is also claimed that the facts like the presence of Mr. Ansari in Afghanistan and then in Pakistan along with a fake CNIC demonstrate his hidden motives. He did not have to fake his travel documents, had he been in Pakistan only to see the friend. Therefore, intelligence agencies reportedly gathered a sufficient amount of evidence to convict him and sentence him for three years.
Read more: Indian magazine Frontline acknowledges Jadhav as spy on RAW payroll
Indian media needs to keep in mind its own paranoia and claims as absurd as that a pigeon was sent to India by Pakistani intelligence agencies for spying while twisting and covering up the stories of their citizens involved in terrorism and spying. Given the rivalry of years and proofs of Indian-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, it comes with no surprise that Mr. Ansari had crossed the border for anti-state activities.