After 19 months of captivity in Pakistani jail, former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav is scheduled to meet his family in Islamabad today.
After 19 months of captivity in Pakistani jail, former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav is scheduled to meet his family in Islamabad today.
According to latest reports, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has confirmed that Islamabad has 'finally granted consular access' toJadhav.
New Delhi, however, has downplayed the development and said that Indian diplomat accompanying Jadhav's mother and wife can't be seen as consular access.
In preparation for the meeting, Pakistan has deployed heavy security and traffic personnel within and outside their Foreign Office. Pakistani diplomatic sources said the meeting will last for an hour. Pakistan has offered to arrange media presence, if Jadhav's mother and wife want to speak to media. But the offer has been rejected by India, reports said.
Pakistani sources indicated that the meeting between Jadhav and his family members will not be the last, raising hopes that his death sentence may be deferred. The Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi had issued visas to Jadhav's mother and wife earlier in the week. The visas were issued after Pakistan decided to allow Jadhav's wife to visit him. But later, it agreed to allow his mother to join, who had originally applied for the visa. Pakistan later agreed to Indian condition — to allow an Indian diplomat to accompany the two women and also to provide a sovereign guarantee to their security and safety. After extensive deliberations, the Indian request was allowed and December 25 was proposed last week as the meeting date.
Jadhav, who was reportedly captured by Pakistani security forces on March 3, 2016, in Balochistan, was sentenced to death by a military tribunal earlier this year for his involvement in terrorism and espionage. His appeals against the conviction have been rejected by the military appellate court and his mercy petition has been lying with Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
India has challenged Pakistan's refusal to grant consular access in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is hearing the case and has restrained the Pakistan government from executing Jadhav till it decides the case. Pakistan had earlier repeatedly rejected India's plea for consular access to Jadhav. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the navy.
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