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Kulbhushan Yadav (also spelled Kulbhushan Jadev or Kul Bhushan Yadav alias Hussain Mubarak Patel) is an Indian national claimed to have been arrested in Balochistan, Pakistan over charges of spying for the Research and Analysis Wing intelligence agency. The Indian government recognises Yadav as a former naval officer, however denies his links with the government and maintains that he took premature retirement. Pakistan believes that he is an in-service commander-ranked officer in the Indian Navy.

Pakistani Claim

Background

Service / branch	Indian Navy
Years of service	1987—
Rank	Commander

Yadav joined the Indian National Defence Academy in 1987 and was commissioned in the engineering branch of Indian Navy in 1991. After an attack on Parliament, he started gathering information and intelligence within India. After 14 years of service he launched into intelligence operations in 2003 and established a small business in Chabahar in Iran.

Arrest

On March 3, 2016 Yadav was arrested over illegal entry into Pakistan via Iran. He was arrested near the border region of Chaman. Security forces stated the arrest of a Research and Analysis Wing officer and asserted that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and commissioned to the Indian intelligence agency. They believed him to be involved in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that Yadav was working for RAW and was in contact with Baloch separatists and terrorists fueling sectarian violence in the province and the country. He further added that he was involved in financially supporting terrorists and also admitted his involvements in Karachi unrest. Interrogation of the intelligence operative brought out into the open—the Naval fighting training being conferred to Baloch separatists in an attempt to target ports of Gwadar and Karachi. Pakistani authorities stated that Yadav during interrogation gave details about funding and plans to destabilize the country. They added that Yadav also unfolded the presence of other operatives present in the southern metropolis.

During the joint conference held by the army and the government, Yadav's video confession was made public. Asim Bajwa told that Yadav converted to Islam, adopted a false identity and worked at Gadani under the cover of a scrap dealer. He stated that he was administered to establish a network of operatives, provision of funds, and arrange and smuggle people for terrorism in the country. He said that Yadav told the interrogators to use a code phrase—your monkey is with us—in order to inform the Indian authorities about his arrest. He also claimed to have confiscated maps from him. He enunciated that there could be no clearer evidence of foreign interference in Pakistan. He termed the arrest of an intelligence or an armed forces officer of his rank a big achievement.

India accepted that an officer arrested in Pakistan served with their navy but at the same time denied that he was an agent for intelligence agency. Indian MEA communicated that Yadav took premature retirement from the navy and the government had no link since his retirement from the Indian Navy. India expounded that Pakistan had fabricated the documents without ascertaining discrepancies . Pakistan has previously raised concerns over involvement of foreign elements in terrorist activities in its territory but this was the first instance of India acknowledging the arrest across the border of an individual associated with its armed forces.

Officials at Indian Intelligence Bureau believe that Yadav got arrested by Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan because after a stay period of 14 years he had become a bit complacent. They stated that Yadav's phone was on surveillance and it was during the monitoring when agencies found something amiss. His habit of talking in Marathi while talking with his family blew his cover. His extreme familiarity and comfort level in the language betrayed his cover as his mannerism did not commensurate with that of the fake identity—Hussain Mubarak Patel.

Activities

Yadav entered Chabahar with a visa stamped on a fake passport numbered L9630722 `in 2003 where he got a new identity of Hussain Mubarak Patel—born in August 30, 1968, from Maharashtra, India.  Officials claimed that his job was to destabilise Pakistan by strengthening a separatist movement in Balochistan and Karachi—a mission which officially began in 2013. They said that Yadav was an expert at Naval fighting techniques. During interrogation Yadav revealed that at Wadh, he was in contact with Haji Baloch, who provided financial and logistic support to Baloch separatists and the IS network in Karachi.  He also said that the masterminds of the Safoora bus attack, where gunmen shot dead 45 Ismaili passengers, were also in contact with Haji Baloch. Yadav added that he had met Baloch several times, sometimes for planning sectarian violence in Karachi and the rest of Sindh.

Asim Bajwa said that Yadav's goal was to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through propaganda—with Gwadar port as a special target and also to create disharmony among the Baloch nationalist political parties. Yadav had also purchased boats at the Iranian port in Chabahar to target Karachi and Gwadar ports in a terrorist plot.

Confession

Yadav in a "video confession" admitted that the Indian intelligence agency RAW was involved in destabilising Pakistan. He also confessed that he was a serving officer of the Indian Navy and was working in Pakistan at the behest of the RAW.

Referring to the video, Bajwa said, “There can be no clearer evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan,” and added that Yadav’s activities were nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism. In the video, Yadav appeared relaxed as he acknowledged that he launched a covert operation against Pakistan from the Iranian port of Chabahar for which he used to get instructions from Research and Analysis Wing's joint secretary Anil Gupta. He also admitted that the RAW had been funding the Baloch separatists for the Balochistan insurgency. Yadav said:

I am still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement in 2022. By 2002, I commenced intelligence operations. In 2003, I 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, I was picked up by RAW in 2013.

In the video, Yadav revealed that he had been directing various activities in Karachi and Balochistan on the instructions from the RAW since 2013 and confessed of playing a role in deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi. While giving details of these activities, Yadav said:

These activities have been of anti-national or terrorist nature which resulted in the killing and wounding of Pakistani citizens.

Indian Claim

1. However, India has rejected the video confession. 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."
2. According to Indian official, Yadhav owns a cargo business in Iran and had been working out of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports. “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 ISI.
3. Indian Government said in a press release:

   "We have seen a video released by Pakistani authorities of a former Indian Naval officer, doing business in Iran, who is in Pakistani custody under unexplained circumstances. The video has this individual making statements which have no basis in fact. That the individual claims to make the statements of his own free will not only challenges credulity but clearly indicates tutoring. It is also relevant to note here that despite our request, we have not been given consular access...Government categorically rejects allegations that this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our behest. Our enquiries reveal that he apparently was being harassed while operating a legitimate business from Iran. While we probe this aspect further, his presence now in Pakistan raises questions, including the possibility of his abduction from Iran. This would become clear only if we are given consular access to him."

Role of Iran

On April 3, it was reported that Iran was investigating whether Yadav crossed the Pakistan-Iran border illegally after the matter was taken up by Pakistani officials in Hassan Rouhani's visit to Islamabad.The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani turned this spy scandal as remours and said: “I have heard this more than 20 times. Whenever we become close to Pakistan such rumours come up. We have brotherly relations with Pakistan. We also have a good relationship with India, thus there is no problem.”

Media coverage

In India, a section of media televised that India had sought consular access to assess the facts but Pakistan denied it on the pretext of his claimed involvement in terrorist activities. Pakistani High Commission briefed that no paperwork from India was received in this regard. Media quoted government sources that Yadav owned a cargo business in Iran and had been working out of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports. The New Indian Express reported that according to Indian government sources, Yadav was lured into Pakistan and fake documents were created by Inter-Services Intelligence.

References

1. ^ "RAW agent reveals, more spies present to destabilise Pakistan". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
2. ^ Staff, The Wire. "Pakistan Claims Arrest of 'RAW Agent' in Balochistan. What Happens Next". The Wire. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
3. ^ Syed Ali Shah (March 25, 2016). "'RAW officer' arrested in Balochistan". DAWN. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
4. Salman Masood (March 29, 2016). "Pakistan Releases Video of Indian Officer, Saying He's a Spy". The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
5. ^ Dawn.com (2016-03-29). "Govt airs video of Indian spy admitting involvement in Balochistan insurgency". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
6. ^ "Rijiju Slams Pakistan for Releasing Doctored Video on Arrested Man". THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS. PTI. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
7. "New Delhi admits spy served in Indian Navy". Tribune. March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
8. Mateen Haider, Shakeel Qarar (March 25, 2016). "India accepts 'spy' as former navy officer, denies having links". DAWN. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
9. "Delhi denies arrest of 'Indian spy' in Pakistan". BBC. March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
10. ^ "'RAW officer' arrested in Balochistan – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
11. "Balochistan arrest: Pakistan calls him spy, MEA says he retired from Navy, has no links with govt". The Indian Express. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
12. Syed Ali Shah. "Arrested 'RAW agent' trained separatists to target Pakistani ports: security official". dawn.com. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
13. ^ "Pakistan releases 'confession video' of Indian man arrested for 'spying'". The Indian Express. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
14. ^ Masood, Salman (2016-03-29). "Pakistan Releases Video of Indian Officer, Saying He's a Spy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
15. ^ "Alleged 'Indian spy' arrested in Pakistan has no connection with govt: MEA to Islamabad". Zee News. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
16. ^ "Iran President Dismisses Pakistan's RAW Spy Claim". THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS. Express News Service. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
17. "How did Pak arrest Jadhav? They heard him speak Marathi – Ahmedabad Mirror -". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
18. Dawn.com (2016-03-30). "Jadhav's phone calls to family in Marathi gave him away: report". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
19. ^ "Pakistan releases video of Indian spy wringing out intel". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
20. "Rijiju slams Pak for releasing doctored video on arrested man". Business Standard. PTI. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
21. "Rijiju slams Pak for releasing doctored video on arrested man". India Today. PTI. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
22. Iran President Dismisses Pakistan's RAW Spy Claim
23. Press statement on video released by Pakistani authorities - www.mea.gov.in
24. "Tehran probing whether Yadav crossed border illegally". The Express Tribune. 3 April 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
25. Iran President Dismisses Pakistan's RAW Spy Claim
26. "Pakistan Refuses India access to RAW Terrorist Kulbhushan Yadav". 92 News. 31 March 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
27. "Kulbhushan Yadav's case: Does international law protect spies? – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-03.

• Living people
• Indian people imprisoned abroad
• Indian spies
• People of the Research and Analysis Wing
• India–Pakistan relations
• Indian Navy officers
• 1970 births
• People of the Balochistan conflict
• Inter-Services Intelligence operations
• Marathi people