Pakistan claims to have arrested an "Indian spy"

Lahore, Aug 1: Police in Pakistan's Punjab province claimed to have arrested an "Indian spy" in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan and handed over him to a premier intelligence agency for investigation.

On Wednesday, police arrested a man, identified as Raju Lakshman, from Dera Ghazi Khan district, some 400-km from Lahore. Police official concerned Liaquat Leghari told reporters that a team of the border military police arrested 30-year-old Raju during patrolling.

"Raju Lakshman is an Indian national. The security agencies are interrogating him to know whether he crossed over here inadvertently or for spying purpose," he said.

DG Khan reportedly houses 'sensitive installations' therefore the government has banned the entry of any foreign national in this district. Leghari said at this stage the 'motive' of the Indian national's crossing over here illegally cannot be determined before investigation. Earlier, police said Lakshman was arrested while entering the town from Balochistan province, the same province from where Pakistan claimed it arrested Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Jadhav, 49, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017 following which India had moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking a stay on his death sentence and further remedies.

The ICJ ordered Pakistan last month to undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.

PTI