The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has rejected Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif’s claim that Pakistan was offered to swap self-confessed Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav with a terrorist involved in Army Public School attack in Peshawar.
“You have already seen a press release issued by the Afghan National Security Adviser’s office. If you have gone through the press release, it seems this is one more addition to the long list of imaginary lies and stories created by the Pakistani establishment,” spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, according to a Times of India report.
During an interview with Asia Society, Khawaja Asif had revealed that Pakistan was offered to exchange Jadhav with a terrorist involved in the 2014 Peshawar school attack. “The Afghan government has admitted that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has safe havens on Afghan soil and operates from there. The terrorist who killed children in APS in Peshawar, is in Afghan custody,” Asif had said, claiming that the Afghan national security adviser had offered to exchange the suspected terrorist with Jadhav.
According to the TOI report, Afghan forces had captured TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah. It said a source had revealed that the Afghan national security adviser could have been hinting at swapping Fazlullah in exchange for Jadhav to Pakistan’s foreign minister.
However, the Indian newspaper report also said that the office of Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Haneef Atmar issued a statement saying there was no mention or reference to India or an Indian citizen during his meeting with Asif on September 21 in New York.
“The two sides also discussed sanctuaries in Pakistan and exchange of the top five Taliban leaders detained in Pakistan. There was no mention or reference to India or an Indian citizen.”
Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested last year in Balochistan and has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan at the behest of Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
India rejects Asif’s claim of Pakistan being offered TTP terrorist in return for Jadhav
