India spies Pakistan with tomatoes

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The Pakistani authorities have recovered 'spying equipment' from a vegetable consignment from India, officials said.

“The spying equipment was recovered from the vegetable consignment from India during screening at Wagah border,” a security official said. He said the spying devices were hidden inside crates of tomatoes and included sound recorders and other equipment.

The official said the four men transporting the consignment have been arrested and an investigation was under way, adding their nationalities could not be ascertained as yet. “The devices have been sent to experts for inspection,” he added.

Pakistan and India have recently been working to enhance trade which could earn both countries billions. Political relations have also improved in recent months after high-level meetings between the two sides. Illegal annual trade between the two countries stands at billions of rupees.

Earlier this year, Pakistan did away with a positive list of imports that allowed less than 2,000 goods to be imported from India. It has then adopted a negative list which disallows only 1,123 items, allowing more than 7,000 products to be imported.

Pakistan allows only 137 items to be imported through the Wagah-Attari land route. The rest have to go via the sea route increasing transportation and transaction costs manifold.