Jadhav case will be dealt with according to local laws, says Nisar

Pakistan will handle the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue as an espionage case, and deal with it according to our own laws, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday.

He added that Jadhav’s arrest helped avert several incidents of terrorism in the country.

The minister was addressing the media after attending a passing out parade of the Frontier Corps (FC) in Warsak, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking about the regional issues facing the country, he said the “hearts of Pakistanis and Afghans beat together.” However, he warned Kabul not to talk to Pakistan in India’s language and urged it to solve its own internal and external issues first, instead of blaming Pakistan. Commenting on the Iranian president’s recent visit to Pakistan, Nisar said all issues were discussed in the meetings President Hassan Rouhani held with officials in Pakistan, adding that both countries will not become party to any movement against the other. The minister also said that he will visit Iran along with a delegation after Ramazan, as per directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. “You’ll see when we reengage Iran most [of our] issues will be settled,” he said.

War against terrorism

Earlier, in his speech to the cadets, the minister said, “Our enemies fund terrorists who carry out violent acts in the name of Islam, but they have nothing to do with religion.”

“You’re not just FC’s soldiers but also soldiers of Islam and Pakistan,” he said, adding that you must protect Pakistan and defeat the handful of people who in the last 15 or so years have spread violence in the country.

The minister directed the cadets to work to bring peace to Pakistan, and also congratulated and thanked the parents of all those who were martyred in the war against terrorism.

“Terrorism hasn’t completely ended; you [cadets] have to do that,” he said, adding that as the interior minister, he rests assured that the government, despite problems, is doing all it can to ensure the civil armed forces have what they need to combat terrorism.

Commenting on the infiltration of terrorists from across the border, the minister said work on fencing the border has begun. He also said that new wings of the FC will soon be raised, and quoting the FC commandant, he said in the last six months alone, thousands of new cadets have passed out of the academy.

Praising the century-old history of the FC, Nisar said hundreds and thousands of FC’s soldiers and officers have sacrificed their lives while serving in this force. “There are lots of challenges ahead, I pray to God and wish you pass in all of life’s exams and set a good standard of serving the country,” he said.