Pakistani FO says ‘allegation ‘may be recycling of a month old report claiming that some Sri Lankans were being used by Pakistani agencies to spy and to incite terrorism inside India’
Indian authorities on Thursday arrested a Sri Lankan national on charges of spying for ‘a neighbouring country’, said a statement issued by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to the NIA press release, Arun Selvarajan was arrested for his involvement in the Thameem Ansari case at the claimed instigation of a neighbouring country. Indian media has termed the neighbouring country Pakistan.
The NIA statement said that Selvarajan was found in possession of two passports, from Sri Lanka and India.
“He has learnt to have gained access to certain vital installations in the guise of managing events,” the statement added.
Selvarajan was passing on information using internet communication and “incriminating evidence” had been seized from him by the Indian authorities, it was alleged. He also has criminal cases pending in Sri Lanka against him along with a look out circular, the statement said.
Ansari was arrested in September 2012 during an IB-Q branch joint operation for allegedly carrying CDs and a pen drive that had information on important military areas and also landing points on the southern coastline in India.
He was allegedly carrying a DVD of training paratroopers landing in some desert and also a Signal Corps parade. He was also allegedly carrying visuals the Indian Army insignia that army officers wear on their shirts according to the Times of India.
PAKISTAN REJECTS ACCUSATION:
Meanwhile in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, “This may be the recycling of a month old report claiming that some Sri Lankans were being used by Pakistani agencies to spy and to incite terrorism inside India.”
“You must have seen a statement that came from Sri Lanka that no such thing ever happened. I would put this report in the same category,” the FO spokesperson added.
