Pakistan cooking up spy story to defame India: Rijiju

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The government on Wednesday accused Pakistan of "cooking up" stories to defame India and of releasing a "doctored video" in which an arrested Indian ex-naval officer is heard purportedly "confessing" to New Delhi's alleged involvement in terrorist activities in Balochistan.

Addressing reporters, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said: "The MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has already come out with a statement regarding the forged, doctored video and the made up story being created by the Pakistani establishment. We don't have to pay attention to that, and I feel that this is an internal game within the Pakistani establishment, their government, the prime minister and their agencies."

Pakistan on Tuesday released a video purportedly showing the arrested Indian, Kulbushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad has accused of being a spy, as saying that he had been directing various activities in Karachi and Balochistan "at the behest of RAW", (Research and Analysis Wing) the Indian intelligence agency, and that he was still with the Indian Navy.

"Doctored videos made by Pakistan will have no effect on international platforms. They are cooking up stories and doctoring videos to defame India," Rijiju added.

India on Tuesday dismissed as baseless the remarks made by Jadhav.

"We have seen a video released by Pakistani authorities of a former Indian naval officer, doing business in Iran, who is in Pakistani custody under unexplained circumstances," the MEA said in a statement.

"The video has this individual making statements which have no basis in fact. That the individual claims to make the statements of his own free will, not only challenges credulity but clearly indicates tutoring," it said.