Jadhav meets mother, wife across glass wall

LIMITED ACCESS Pak promises more meetings amid row over consular contact

ISLAMABAD: Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav on Monday met his wife and mother, from behind a glass barrier at the Pakistan foreign ministry in Islamabad, for the first time since his arrest in March 2016.

Pakistan said it would not be the l ast such meeting but described Jadhav as the “face of Indian terrorism”. Islamabad insisted that the presence of Indian diplomats at the former Indian Navy officer’s 40-minutelong meeting with his wife Chetankul and mother Avanti did not amount to “consular access”.

In what appeared to be choreographed moves, the Pakistani foreign office released photos of the meeting, a pre-recorded video of Jadhav thanking the Pakistani government, and a medical report that claimed he was in good health.

The video showed Jadhav, sentenced to death for alleged espionage, saying Pakistani authorities had treated him in a dignified, respectful and professional manner, for which he was thankful. In the video, Jadhav also “confessed” to the crimes he has been charged with in Pakistan.

Avanti and Chetankul were accompanied to the Pakistan foreign ministry office by Indian deputy high Commissioner JP Singh and three officials from the Indian foreign ministry. Only Jadhav’s family was allowed in the room, where he was sitting across the partition. With more than 1,000 commuters on board, the suburban train completed its first run from Borivli to Churchgate on Monday.

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PTI Former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav interacts with his wife Chetankul and mother Avanti while seated across a glass partition at the Pakistan foreign office in Islamabad on Monday.