Pak 'spy' driver asked to leave India

India today declared Mohd Farooq, a driver with the Pakistan High Commission here, a persona non grata and asked him to leave the country within a week. The move comes four days after he was caught while allegedly receiving sensitive documents from an armyman here.

The Pakistan High Commission has been informed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that Farooq has been found indulging in activities "incompatible" with his status and should be withdrawn, according to official sources.

Farooq was caught with a Havaldar in the Army, Anil Kumar, in a south-west Delhi area. After legal formalities, he was handed over to the Pakistan High Commission soon after while Kumar, posted at the Army's Group Insurance Scheme unit, was arrested.

Today's move comes after the MEA received a report from the Delhi Police that Farooq had been engaged in espionage.

Investigations by the Delhi Police's special cell found that Farooq had been in touch with Kumar for at least three months, sources said. His activities prior to that are being probed.

The expulsion came less than a month ahead of the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks.

In August, Pakistan had expelled India's Visa Counsellor in Islamabad Deepak Kaul, claiming he was engaged in espionage. Kaul was roughed up by the Pakistani security personnel during his five-hour detention. India had then expelled Pakistan's Counsellor (Political) Riaz Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there was "credible evidence" of Pakistani involvement in the July 11 train blasts in Mumbai. "All I can say is that there is credible evidence," he said.

On the Indo-Pak joint mechanism to fight terrorism, he said, "It is a trial. We have to experiment... We have to talk as we are not going to war with Pakistan."