In a carefully orchestrated event that played out through tweets, photos and videos, Kulbhushan Jadhav (47), on death row in Pakistan, met his wife and mother across a glass screen in Islamabad on Monday.
After denying any communication with the former Indian Naval officer since his arrest on March 3, 2016, Pakistan arranged a meeting of mother Avanti and wife Chetana Jadhav at the Pakistan Foreign Office building, but denied any physical contact. Both women spoke to Jadhav through an intercom in the presence of five officials.
Jadhav has been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and terrorism, a case that has become a rallying point in India, spurring calls for action to save the 47-year-old who New Delhi says was kidnapped and implicated by Pakistan.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal indicated that it might not be the last such meeting. "It is not the last meeting. It should be categorically registered," he said. But he repeated that Jadhav is a face of Indian terror directed against Pakistan.
India has moved the ICJ in The Hague, on grounds that procedures were not followed under international law, a rare contest by the two nuclear-armed rivals at the top UN legal body.
In May, the court put the sentence on hold till the case is conclusively heard.
It was apparent that Pakistan was converting the humanitarian gesture into a full-fledged publicity blitzkrieg, by releasing a second video of Jadhav.
Its diplomats portrayed visas to the two women and then a meeting on the birthday of its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah a grand gesture ahead of the hearings at the ICJ.
But a jail-like setting and not allowing the two women, who had travelled all along from Mumbai to meet the death-row prisoner did not go down well in India.
Though there were no immediate reactions from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said, "The settings of the meeting and their full publicity have robbed it of any compassion and humanity."
The meeting was supposed to last 30 minutes. But at the request of Jadhav, it lasted 40 minutes. Pakistan's Foreign Office also issued a new video message in which he is seen thanking the its government for arranging the meeting.
All information about the meeting emerged through Pakistani Foreign Ministry tweets and images. Its spokesman Mohammad Faisal identified Jadhav with his military title. He also tweeted that the meeting was arranged in light of "Islamic traditions and based on purely humanitarian grounds." "The mother and wife of Commander Jadhav sitting comfortably in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan. We honour our commitments," informed Faisal.
From Pakistan's side, Foreign Office Director for India, Dr Fareha Bugti, was present at the meeting.
After the meeting Faisal made it clear that it was not a consular access. He said India's deputy High Commission was present during the meeting, but was not allowed to speak or participate in discussions.
He, however, said that decisions on consular access will be taken by Islamabad keeping in view the law and interests of his country. He said that the meeting was positive and the two sides talked thoroughly, but refused to share its details.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a Pakistani media channel that his country has granted India consular access since an Indian diplomat will be accompanying the prisoner's wife and mother. India downplayed the comments, maintaining that the its diplomat was only accompanying Jadhav's family. Later Pakistani spokesperson himself overturned the statement of his own minister.
The FO spokesperson claimed Jadhav had admitted to his involvement in acts of terror.
THE FARCE PAK TRIAL
- March 2016 India’s former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav arrested by Pakistan on charges of espionage and terrorism
- April 2017 Jadhav sentenced to death by Pak. India says he was kidnapped from Iran, where he ran a business
- May ICJ stays Jadhav’s execution on India’s petition against the farce trial
- Dec 20 Pakistan issues visa to 47-year-old’s wife and mother to visit Islamabad and meet him
- Dec 25 Jadhav meets his family, first time after his arrest in March 2016
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