A Pakistan High Commission official has been asked to leave India after he was detained carrying sensitive defense documents. The announcement comes as tensions between the neighboring countries are already running high.
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Indian authorities announced on Thursday they were expelling a diplomat with Pakistan's High Commission in India, saying he was involved in spying.
"Delhi police crime branch has busted an espionage racket run by a kingpin working in the Pakistan high commission," said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police.
Police in New Delhi say the Pakistani official had been recruiting Indian nationals for two and a half years to spy for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in exchange for cash.
Vikas Swarup, spokesman for India's Ministry for External Affairs, said the foreign secretary summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner to inform him of the situation and make his case.
Three men were detained on Wednesday outside the gates to the Delhi Zoo, where the Pakistani diplomat met with two Indian associates whom he allegedly recruited to spy for him.
The official was caught exchanging sensitive documents including maps showing the deployment of India's paramilitary troops and army along the border with Pakistan. The official was released after he was found to have a diplomatic passport.
Pakistan's High Commission in New Delhi rejected the allegations in a statement, saying the Commission "never engages in any activity that is incompatible with its diplomatic status."
The diplomat has been given 48 hours to leave the country.
@dwnews - Kashmir tensions spill over to India, Pakistan film industry
In September, a group of gunmen killed 19 Indian soldiers at an army camp in Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants, while Pakistan maintains the operation never happened. Islamabad accuses New Delhi of inventing the attack to distract from protest crackdowns in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both nations claim the territory in full and have exchanged fire this week in cross-border shelling.
rs/blc (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
The real Kashmir
Poets call it one of the most beautiful places on earth. Analysts consider it to be one of the most dangerous areas in the world. But what is Kashmir in reality?
Image: M.Davari
Multicultural
Kashmir has been well-known for its cultural and linguistic diversity. The Kashmir Valley has a Muslim majority. Hindus are predominant in Jammu while Ladakh is primarily Buddhist. But interminable violence has damaged the very fabric of society.
Image: picture-alliance/Arcaid
Saffron
Kashmir is also famous for its saffron. India is the third largest exporter of saffron following Iran and Spain.
Image: imago/Xinhua
'Switzerland of the East'
Kashmir boasts some of the world's most beautiful flowering meadows and snow-capped peaks. Many people call it "The Switzerland of the East." Almost 1.1 million tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2014.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Snow-white Kashmir
Kashmir wears pure white in winter. Many areas are perfect for winter sports but lack infrastructure. Islamist violence remains the biggest challenge.
Image: UNI
Rivers
The Himalayan part of Kashmir is the source of fresh water for more than 20 rivers, among which the Indus, Neelum and Ravi are the biggest. All these rivers flow from India into Pakistan.
Image: UNI
Wood
Kashmir is also famous for its wood, the Kashmir willow. Experts believe that it is the best wood for making a cricket bat. Kashmiri wood is also used for building boats.
Image: picture alliance/NurPhoto/Y. Nazir
Sufism
Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, reached Kashmir in the 16th century. Sufi tradition is associated with religious harmony. Many of the saints held dear by Kashmiris were Sufi monks. Sufi singers such as Abida Parveen are popular to this day.
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Kashmir on the silver screen
Kashmir used to be the most popular location of the Indian film industry during the 1980s. It was a golden era for Kashmir. However, the valley has been witnessing violence on an almost daily basis ever since. Nowadays, only one or two films are shot on location in Kashmir every year.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fighting in the clouds
The Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan has been going on 1948, and experts see little hope of a solution in the foreseeable future. Both countries spend lots of resources on their half of the divided territory, with their respective armies squared off on what some view as the highest battlefield in the world, the Siachen glacier (5,753m).