Pakistan clarifies Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav has not been given consular access
Presence of Indian diplomat during meeting between Jadhav and his family does not mean Jadhav has been given consular access, says FO spokesperson
December 25, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday that arrested Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav has not been given consular access.
Clarifying earlier reports in the media, the Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said the presence of Indian diplomat during the scheduled meeting between Jadhav and his family does not mean Jadhav has been given Indian consular access.
Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh will be present at the meeting between Jadhav and his family, which will last 30 minutes.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, during his appearance on Geo News' programme 'Naya Pakistan' earlier, had said that India had been given consular access to the convicted spy, describing it as a "concession."
He had added that Pakistan had allowed Jadhav's meeting with his mother and wife purely on "humanitarian grounds."
Noting that Jadhav's case is sub judice in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the minister had said they were also advised to allow the meeting. "We didn't want any weakness in our case in the ICJ over the meeting."
Commander Jadhav — an on-duty Indian navy officer working for Indian covert agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan, after he entered into Pakistan from Iran.
On April 10, 2017, Pakistan had sentenced the RAW agent to death for carrying out espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan and Karachi.
In a reaction to the move, Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring India tensed, and New Delhi approached the ICJ to hear the case.
On May 18, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made in the proceedings.
