Person in charge of Indo-Pak trade relations an ISI spy: intel agencies

New Delhi: Even as more skeletons tumble out of the Pakistan High Commission, Indian intelligence agencies have been baffled by a new revelation – the person in-charge of India-Pakistan trade relations has turned out to be a top Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer and chief of intelligence operations in India.

According to a report in DNA, this came to light after the interrogation of ISI spy Mehmood Akhtar last week. Akhtar was working ostensibly as a High Commission staffer before he was trapped by Delhi Police.

The report said that Commercial Counsellor in the Pakistani High Commission, Syed Furrukh Habib, is actually an ISI officer.

Several officials at the High Commission were running an espionage network under the guise of doing other jobs, said the report.

Pakistan on Tuesday decided to recall 4 of its High Commission members from New Delhi. It is unclear whether these 4 are among the ones identified as spies by Indian intelligence. But Akhtar was on Tuesday reported to have told Indian intelligence that as many as 16 ‘staffers’ were involved in the spy ring.

Pakistan’s actions of installing several spies in the High Commission is against a diplomatic arrangement between the two countries, which stipulates that only one intelligence officer can be posted.

Mehmood Akhtar had been caught along with Indian agents but could not be arrested as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. He was declared persona non grata and was sent back to Pakistan. The Delhi Police had also arrested four Indians who were part of the spy network.

BJP on Tuesday said that Pakistani High Commission had become an 'ISI den' which was breaking all laws.

"The reality is that the High Commission here (in Delhi) has become an ISI den. It is breaking all rules and laws...Its work is no longer about diplomatic relationship. It has become a centre of smuggling information from here to there (Pakistan)," party National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said.