No RAW talks with Pakistan: Hassan Rouhani

NEW DELHI: In what could be viewed as a public snub to the Pakistan Army Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has denied discussing the role of Indian intelligence agency in Pakistan’s internal matters with General Raheel Sharif in the backdrop of Islamabad’s arrest of alleged agent Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan.

Rouhani, who was a on two-day visit to Pakistan, rejected the claims during a press meet on Saturday that the issue of Indian spy agency’s involvement in Pakistan was discussed during his meeting with the country’s leadership. This incidentally comes a day after Jadhav’s arrest and amid several claims made by Pakistan of his “subversive” activities in Balochistan. Authoritative sources here described Pak action as an attempt to raise ‘B’ word ahead of Indo-Pak PM level meeting in the coming week in Washington and amid visit by Pak JIT to India which would be appraised of the role of Pak elements in Pathankot attack.

Rouhani’s dismissal of Pak Army’s claim during a press conference in Islamabad following his meeting with the Gen Sharif underscores the growing Indo-Iran strategic ties ahead of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s trip to Tehran mid-April to kickstart cooperation across sectors from energy to connectivity. A visit by a top Indian leader to Tehran is also not ruled out later in the year.

The Iranian President was replying to a question regarding the claims made earlier by the Pakistani government about discussing the issue of Research and Analysis Wing's ( RAW) involvement in Pakistan's internal affairs with the Iranian president. Rouhani even denied having such a discussion and said, “Whenever Iran comes closer to Pakistan such rumours are spread.” Iran shares land boundary with Pakistan along the Balochistan province.

Earlier Pak Army’s director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, shared the text of General Raheel Sharif’s meeting with the Iranian president. During the meeting with the Iranian president, Gen Raheel reportedly asked Rouhani to tell them [RAW] that “they should stop these activities and allow Pakistan to achieve stability”, Bajwa tweeted.

Indian strategic experts who have dealt with the Af-Pak region and Iran, however, described Pak Army’s assertion as naïve. “The very effort for a Pak Army to call on a visiting President gives an impression that Pak Army is the influential organization in that country. And trying to give a public account of discussions is a naïve action. The Iranian President through his assertion has underlined Delhi-Tehran ties,” noted G Parthasarathy former High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Former High Commissioner to Afghanistan who has also handled Iran in headquarters Vivek Katju opined, “President Rouhani has contemptuously dismissed Gen Raheel Sharif’s complain of India using Irian territory to foment trouble in Balochistan thus signaling to Pakistan that it will not get involved in their quarrels with India.”