Iran probing if Jadhav crossed border illegally

Iran has conveyed to Pakistan that it is investigating whether an alleged Indian spy arrested last month in Balochistan crossed the border illegally or was picked up from its soil, the Express Tribune reported on Sunday.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, said to be a RAW agent arrested on March 3, was reportedly deployed in Iran's Chabahar port before crossing into Balochistan to meet some separatist leaders.

Iranian authorities have directly and indirectly conveyed to Pakistan that they are investigating whether or not Jadhav crossed into Pakistan illegally, the daily said.

India, which has already disclaimed Jadhav as a spy, has alleged that the Indian national was picked up from the Iranian soil. It was putting pressure on Tehran to register a case against Pakistani agencies, the daily quoted sources as saying.

India was also seeking to enlist support of the US, Britain and France to convince Iran to go by its claim that Jadhav was kidnapped from the Iranian soil, it said, adding that New Delhi has even threatened Tehran to choose between Pakistan and India, leaving Iran in a quandary.

India was investing billions of rupees in the Special Economic Zone in Chabahar, a port New Delhi has partially built and developed. Lying in the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar port gives India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan, to conduct trade.

Moreover, India also buys a large share of its oil from Iran.

Pakistan has already handed over evidence regarding Jadhav's arrest to key world powers, including the US and Britain, but they have yet not responded, the daily said.