India said Saturday it had arrested an army sergeant for allegedly handing secret military papers to a Pakistan High Commission employee, sparking a new spy row between the nuclear-armed rivals. "Anil Kumar Dubey, a sergeant in the Indian army was arrested yesterday (Friday) while passing classified documents to Mohammad Farooq of the Pakistan High Commission," New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar told AFP.Police said the army sergeant was being held under India's Official Secrets Act and that police had acted on "intelligence inputs." Pakistan charged that Indian security illegally detained and manhandled the embassy employee in New Delhi.
"The government of Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with the Indian government over the illegal detention and manhandling of Mr Mohammad Farooq%u2026by the Indian security personnel," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding, "The harassment of a Pakistani official is a violation of international conventions as well as diplomatic norms."