New Delhi: An Indian engineer has just managed to leave Afghanistan in the nick of time before being apprehended by the ISI of Pakistan. Venumadhav Dongara could have been the next Kulbushan Yadav had the Indian intelligence and security officials not worked seamlessly to get Dongara back in the country.
Pakistan’s ploy was very simple. To have caught Venumadhav Dongara and brand him a person involved in terror-financing. Pakistan then would have moved the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee to ‘list’ Dongara as a terrorist. Had the plan succeeded it would have caused Prime Minister Narendra Modi acute embarrassment at a time when he was touring the United States and also addressed the UN General Assembly.
The support for the listing would have come from China and India would not have been aware of the development as it is not a member of the 1267 Sanctions Committee. It should be stated here that the panel which designates global terrorists was formed after the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks in New York.
The plot was hatched in March according to officials of the intelligence department. It would have linked the Indian engineer, who works for KEC International, a subsidiary of the RPG Group, to a terror outfit which is believed to be responsible for attacking Peshawar airbase in 2015. In the attack, 29 people lost their lives.
Had Dongara not been brought out, it is possible that he may have been abducted by ISI from Afghanistan, in the same manner in which former Indian navy officer-turned-businessman Kulbushan Jadhav was from Iran. The Indian is currently lodged in jail and is accused of spying and terrorism for RAW. He was sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan but the International Court of Justice stayed the order.
According to the Indian officials, ISI prepared a dossier on fictitious terror activities of Dongara including FIRs, photos, and other fake evidence. He was portrayed as a financier and weapon suppliers of several anti-Pakistan groups including Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Tariq Gidar Group, TTP, ISIL and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Even though Dongara, who started working in Afghanistan in 2016, has been brought out, six other employees of the ISI are being held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Negotiations are on to get their release.
Agencies