NEW DELHI: After much confabulation and diplomatic tussle, stage is set for the visit of former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother to Pakistan on Monday, December 25 to meet their family member, who is on death row.
“India informs that the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav will arrive by commercial flight on 25 Dec and leave the same day.
Indian DHC (Deputy High Commissioner) in Islamabad will be the accompanying diplomat,” Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted.
The 47-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April this year while the court order was stayed after India moved the International Court of Justice.
The ICJ stayed the execution of military court pending the final verdict. Pakistan has denied India consular access to Jadhav despite numerous requests on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies.
However, after Jadhav’s family had applied for visas Pakistan had agreed for the visas and also that a diplomat from the Indian high commission in Islamabad could accompany the visitors. Pakistan had agreed that a diplomat from the Indian high commission in Islamabad would accompany the visitors.
India has consistently maintained that Jadhav was “kidnapped” from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy and thus there was no question of him being a spy as alleged by Pakistan.
In contrast, Pakistan has said that its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from Balochistan province in March 2016 when he had allegedly entered Pakistan with the intent of carrying out sabotage activities and spying.
On December 21, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, both countries are “engaged in” the modalities of the visit of the Jadhav’s family members.
(AGENCIES)
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