ISLAMABAD - New Delhi on Monday fumed in anger and frustration after its convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav supported Pakistan’s stance during his meeting with top Indian diplomat in Islamabad.
The meeting came as Pakistan yesterday provided Jadhav an “un-impeded, uninterrupted and recorded” consular access in line with the international legal norms and commitments.
Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian Naval commander associated with the country’s spy agency RAW (Research and Analyses Wing), was arrested on March 3, 2016 from Balochistan on allegations of espionage and terrorism.
He was subsequently sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court after he confessed to his involvement in terrorist plots.
India, which claimed Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy, challenged his sentence in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ gave its verdict on July 17 asking Pakistan to review the spy’s death sentence and grant India consular access by the “means of its own choosing”.
“Gaurav Ahluwalia, Charge d’ Affairs of the Indian high Commission in Islamabad availed consular access (for Kulbhushan Jadhav on Sept 2) which was provided in line with Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ICJ verdict and the laws of Pakistan,” a foreign ministry statement on Monday.
The meeting, it said, took place “at 1200 hours (Pakistan time) and lasted for two hours, in the presence of officials of the Government of Pakistan”. Strict security measures were taken during the facilitation of the meeting.
“On Indian request, there was no restriction on the language of communication. In order to ensure transparency and in line with standard operating procedures, and as conveyed to the Indian side in advance, the access was recorded,” the statement said.
Hours after the meeting, India admitted that Jadhav, during the meeting with its senior diplomat, supported Pakistan’s stance in the case. It however claimed that the convicted spy seemed to be ‘under extreme pressure’ during the consular access.
“While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Shri Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,” said a statement issued by India’s External Affairs Ministry.
“We will decide a further course of action after receiving a detailed report from our Cd’A (charge d’affaires) and determining the extent of conformity to the ICJ directives,” it added.
The statement further said that External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also spoke to Jadhav’s mother and briefed her of Monday’s developments.
Pakistan Foreign Office had announced over the weekend that it would grant India consular access on September 2.
Before meeting Jadhav, the senior Indian diplomat met Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal at the foreign ministry.
On August 1, the Foreign Office said the Indian Navy officer will be granted consular access the next day. However, the meeting, which was scheduled for 3pm (Pakistan time) on August 2, did not materialise amid differences between Pakistan and India on the terms of the consular access to Jadhav.
Earlier, in December 2017, the wife and mother of Jadhav were allowed to meet him at the Foreign Office - but from behind a glass screen.
The consular access to Jadhav came amidst fresh Pak-India tensions, which spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
On August 7, Pakistan expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria after it downgraded the diplomatic ties with India over the Kashmir issue.
Meanwhile, the third round of talks between Pakistan and India on Kartarpur Corridor will take place at Attari, India tomorrow (September 4). FO spokesperson and Director General South Asia Dr Mohammed Faisal will lead the Pakistani delegation.