‘Not keen to send Jadhav’s wife alone to Pak’
NEWDELHI: India is not inclined to send Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife alone to Pakistan to meet the former naval officer sentenced to death on charges of spying, sources familiar with the development told HT.
The government is still awaiting a formal response from Pakistan to its plea that Jadhav’s mother, too, be allowed to meet him. “It is not a fair proposition to send his wife alone to meet him. We are awaiting a response from the Pakistan government on the plea for letting his mother meet him, which anyway was our first request,” said the source.
New Delhi responded through diplomatic channels to Islamabad’s offer on November 10 to allow Jadhav’s wife to meet him.
India believes that Pakistan’s suggestion, sidestepping the request of Jadhav’s mother, was unexpected. Another source said India was awaiting a response on getting consular access to Jadhav, whose case is now being fought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In a tweet, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on November 18: “Indian reply to Pakistan’s humanitarian offer for Commander Jadhav received & is being considered.”
A military appellate court had earlier turned down Jadhav’s mercy petition. The Pakistan Army chief is considering his clemency plea at present.
The Pakistan government maintains Jadhav is a serving naval commander who was working for India’s external spy agency, a charge firmly rejected by New Delhi, which says Jadhav was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar last year.