Islamabad, April 19
An Indian High Commission staffer here was “abducted” today allegedly by operatives of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and was released after over eight hours during which he was severely tortured, beaten and made to sign a paper stating that he was an agent of RAW.

Anil Khanna was abducted in front of his colleagues when he came down his apartment block to get into the Indian High Commission bus around 8.25 a.m. to go to the mission.

The incident in the high security diplomatic enclave adjacent to the church, which came under a grenade attack last month, came three days after a Pakistani High Commission staffer was apprehended in New Delhi on charges of espionage and subsequently expelled.

Khanna’s captivity ended when his family got a call around 4.30 p.m. from the nearby police station that they could come and take him home.

Narrating his ordeal a tired looking Khanna told Indian correspondents that about 12 to 15 persons pounced on him as he was about to board the bus and bundled him into a van. They covered his face with a thick cloth and drove him to an unknown destination.

Khanna said he was made to sign a paper stating that he was a RAW agent. Those who hit him also told him to carry a message that this kind of treatment would continue till matters were sorted out at the other end.

Indian Charge d’Affairs Sudhir Vyas, who received Khanna along with his family, said besides obtaining his signature his abductors interrogated him on the functioning of the Indian High Commission and the routine of the Indian officials working in the mission.

His gold ring and chain, wrist watch and 1,200 Pakistani rupees were found missing from his possession on his return, Vyas said.

Khanna said after he was abducted he tried to put up a resistance which led to scuffles. He said he was severely beaten on the way and was taken to a small room where he was hit all over the body by a number of persons. He said he was punched on the face, which was swollen.

Indian High Commission doctor, who examined him immediately after his release, said Khanna had deep cuts and wounds all over his body. He was limping around as his ankle joints were hurt.

Khanna said during his ordeal it was made abundantly clear to him that the treatment being meted out to him was in retaliation to the action by India against Pakistan High Commission staffer Ali Abbas, who was caught red-handed while receiving sensitive documents from an employee of the IAF earlier this week in New Delhi.

Vyas said despite numerous complaints to the Foreign Office the Pakistan officials’ response was dilatory and evasive.

A police complaint was also lodged in the morning but the police, while taking note of the complaint, declined to register a case, he said.

Khanna said he was dropped by his kidnappers at the police station around 2.30 p.m. where he was made to wait. The police took over two hours to inform his residence. They later claimed they did not have the telephone numbers of the Indian High Commission.

Khanna is also expected to be expelled later today.

New Delhi: India on Friday strongly protested to Pakistan against the kidnapping and torture of a staffer of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Taking exception to Pakistan’s “highhandedness and brutality”, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao alleged Mr Khanna was badly beaten up during the illegal custody. He sustained bruises and was having a problem in swallowing.