Pak releases fresh Jadhav video, India calls it propaganda
‘COERCED’ No credibility in such ‘exercises’, says New Delhi
NEWDELHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday released a new video of death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, prompting
India to dismiss it as another
“propagandistic” episode in a long-running diplomatic spat between the two countries that has spiked tensions in recent weeks. weekly Office seen In asking the in briefing Islamabad, video, why India at shown the Jadhav was Foreign at denying the is and he that was he an was intelligence being treated agent well. The video, more than two minutes long, was apparently shot on December 25, the day Jadhav met his wife and mother.
He is heard saying at the start of the footage that he had met mother “today”.
“I have to say one thing very important here for the Indian public… and the Indian government and the people in the navy — that my commission is not gone. I am a commissioned officer of the Indian Navy,” he said in the video, which is replete with sudden edits and jump cuts between sentences.
New Delhi dismissed it as a “coerced” statement with no credibility.
An external affairs ministry spokesperson said “the absurdity of a captive under duress cerviding tifying his own welfare” did not merit a comment.
“This does not come as a surprise. Pakistan is simply continuing its practice of putting out coerced statements on video. It is time for them to realise that such propagandistic exercises simply carry no credibility,” the spokesperson said, adding Pakistan should instead fulfil its international obligations, including pro- and human Jadhav but India stopping consular is rights. has a serving maintained the Pakistan access violating naval to Jadhav insists he officer of had his left a business the service in the and Iranian was running port of Chabahar when he was kidnapped by Pakistani intelligence in 2016. Sentenced to death last year by a military court for alleged involvement in spying, Jadhav also said in the video that he was grateful to the Pakistan government for arranging the meeting with his wife and mother. But he added: “I saw fear in the eyes of my mother and my wife. Why should there be fear? Whatever has happened has happened. There shouldn’t be fear in the eyes of my mother and my wife.”
› This does not come as a surprise. Pakistan is continuing its practice of putting out coerced statements his on video. SPOKESPERSON, OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY
THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM HAS ADVOCATED DESIGNATING PAKISTAN AS A COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN SINCE 2002.
WASHINGTON: The US on Thursday put Pakistan on a “special watch list” for “severe violations” of religious freedom.
Secretary of state Rex Tillerson also “re-designated” Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as “countries of particular concern” for their handling of religious freedom.
“The secretary also placed Pakistan on a special watch list for severe violations of religious freedom,” state department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.
These designations, she said, “are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries”.
Pakistan is already in the crosshairs of the Trump administration for not doing enough to combat terrorism.
“In far too many places around the globe, people continue to be persecuted, unjustly prosecuted, or imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief,” Nauert said in a statement,
“Today, a number of governments infringe upon individuals’ ability to adopt, change, or renounce their religion or belief, worship in accordance with their religion or beliefs, or be free from coercion to practice a particular religion or belief.”
President Donald Trump himself accused Pakistan of accepted a large amount of aid from the US — $33 billion in 15 years — and giving back only lies and deceit in return.
The administration has announced it will deny Pakistan assistance worth $255 million under foreign military financing. It has also said it will release a list of “specific actions” for Pakistan to take to “earn” the aid. More aid cuts are expected.
In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the secretary of state annually designates governments that have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom as “countries of particular concern”.