Three more Indian high commission officials leave Pakistan

The two staffers turned out to be officials of India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB), diplomatic sources said. They included First Secretary Press Balbir Singh and Jiabalan Sainthal.

Six Indian High Commission officials, out of the eight accused by Pakistan of being members of Indian intelligence agencies, have left the country, the foreign office said, with three diplomats leaving on Thursday.

Both India and Pakistan have expelled diplomats after an espionage row broke out between the two nations. (HT File Photo)

“Six out of eight Indian diplomats found involved in subversive activities in Pakistan have left,” foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told reporters during a briefing.

He did not name those who have left.

Three Indian officials, accused of working for the Intelligence Bureau, left Pakistan early today, said security sources. “Balbir Singh and Jayabalan Senthil left via Dubai-bound Emirates flight EK 615,” they said.

The name of the third official who left Pakistan on Thursday was not know yet.

Zakaria had last week identified eight Indian High Commission officials by name and designation. He had alleged that several Indian diplomats and staffers were involved in “coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments”.

Those named were Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri (Commercial Counsellor), Anurag Singh (First Secretary Commercial), Amerdeep Singh Bhatti (Attache Visa) and three staffers - Dharmendra Sodhi, Vijay Kumar Verma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar.

Last month, Pakistan had declared Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh ‘persona non-grata’ after India’s action against Pakistan High Commission official Mehmood Akhtar following Indian police’s busting of an ISI-run spy ring.

On November 2, Pakistan had pulled out six of its officials in the wake of the spy scandal.