Pakistan arrested fisherman who was 'spying' for India, claims minister

Islamabad, Nov 1 (PTI) Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday claimed that a fisherman from the country has been arrested for allegedly spying for India.

Addressing a press conference here, Tarar said Ijaz Mallah, who fished on the high seas, was forced to procure military uniforms, Pakistani currency, cigarettes, match boxes, lighters, and SIM cards.

“In September, when Mallah was out fishing, he was arrested by the Indian coast guard,” Tarar said.

Mallah was told he would be compensated for spying, but on refusal would be imprisoned for two to three years, the minister claimed.

“So this common fisherman was eventually released...and was sent to Pakistan on a task to procure certain things … which included uniforms of the Pakistan Navy, the Pakistan Army, and of Sindh Rangers,” Tarar claimed.

The minister said that Pakistan’s intelligence bodies began tracking the fisherman when he tried to procure the items demanded by his handlers.

The fisherman, with all the items, was on his way to India when the Pakistani agencies apprehended him at sea, Tarar claimed.

Tarar alleged that it was “part of a bigger plan of the Indian intelligence agency to launch a propaganda war against Pakistan.” The minister also showed pictures of some items, claiming that it was recovered from the fisherman.

He also played Mallah’s confessional video in which he claimed that he had been caught by Indian agencies while he was fishing in the sea.

The relations between the two countries were further strained after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. PTI SH NPK ZH NPK NPK