Yadav with his naval background and the orientation of a spy to boot, could not spill the beans suo moto. He could not be unaware of Pakistani reality that a confession would in no way guarantees a bail-out. Compounding these doubts, Pakistan denied India consular access to Kulbhushan Yadav, and this makes difficult to ascertain the veracity of Pakistan's claims.
On their part, the Yadav family is unwilling to buy the Pakistan theory. And they have been asking whether the Pakistanis used a 'double' in the video. Their contention is gaining traction.
Right from the Day the 'Yadav espionage' broke out, the Yadav family has been saying that he had not been in touch with them for a long while and therefore they had been worried about him.
Their concern makes sense if we factor in Pak media reports that Jaish-e-Adil, an Iranian terror group, had kidnapped Kulbhushan Yadav for ransom and handed him over to the Afghan Taliban, who operate as the ISI foot soldiers on either side of Afghanistan - Balochistan border.
From mid-2014 onwards, Pakistan has been vocal in accusing India of interference in Balochistan. The ISI has been on a spree 'arresting' so-called R&AW agents in Pakistan and parading them before the media for a long while. But scored no brownie points to the dismay of the Pakistani establishment. Steps in the Jaish-e-Adil with its catch, and ISI sees its manna.
According to another version that has found a place in some Indian publications like India Today, the ISI was planning to create a 'genuine' Indian agent when in early 2015 it heard about Kulbhushan Yadav in Chahbahar.
Kidnapping Yadav was really not an issue. Jaish-ul Adil was roped in for the job. How to ensure that 'innocent' Yadav confessed to spying for India?
ISI solved the puzzle by creating a "double", "converting" Yadav to Islam and getting a passport in the name of Hussein Mubarak Patel. An almost Yadav-look alike was zeroed in by the MI office in Quetta, Balochistan, and he played the role to perfection for a fee after some plastic surgery.
Why should Pakistan go to these great lengths? Islamabad wants to 'show' Indian hand in Balochistan, where it has been facing insurgency for more than four-five decades. The Yadav narrative served the purpose.
Balochis live on either side of Iran-Pakistan border. Jaish ul-Adl (Army of Justice), a Sunni insurgent group based in Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran, is responsible for several attacks against civilians and military targets. It was founded in 2012. Members of Jundallah, a Sunni militant group,
floated it after Iran caught and executed their leader, Abdul Malik Rigi.
Both Jundallah and its later day incarnation are known to have served Pakistani, Saudi and American interests.
Neither Islamabad nor Rawalpindi is willing to raise a finger at Tehran as they used to do till recently for their Baloch troubles. All because of changing regional dynamics.
Pakistan is no longer positioning Iran as its adversary, nor is it willing to be used as a CIA launch pad for ops into Iran. Today it wants to be on the right side of Iranian leadership.
Its short-term goal? Iran as an ally in its ambitious China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
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