Pakistan allows convicted Indian spy to meet family in rare move
ISLAMABAD: The wife and mother of an Indian naval officer held in custody by security agencies in Islamabad on charges of “espionage, terrorism and subversive activities against Pakistan” met Commander Kulbushan Jadhav amid tight security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. Pakistan called the meeting “historic.”
“For a serving (Indian) officer, yes, it’s the first time,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammed Faisal to Arab News.
Another official said: “This is historic because we don’t do this for spies. We want to show that Pakistan wants peace.”
Faisal expressed that it was a huge gesture from Pakistan to allow a convicted foreign intelligence agent who has confessed to his activities harming Pakistanis for the state to permit a meeting “on humanitarian grounds.” He added that Pakistan wants to show that it has nothing to hide; therefore, it gave the media access to the meeting but said that New Delhi decided not to engage the press and barred the women from speaking to reporters.
Jadhav’s mother Avanti was dressed in a saree, the traditional garment for Indian women and her daughter-in-law Chetankul wore the subcontinental shalwar kameez. They arrived at the Foreign Office building at 1:25 p.m., accompanied by Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh.
Several dozen cameras were trained on the two women as they stepped out of the vehicle. Reporters shouted questions as the women and the Indian diplomat were escorted into the building by Pakistani officials. Avanti turned to the media, raised both hands together but made no further response.
In photos of the private meeting which were provided by Pakistani officials to the media, Jadhav sat behind a thick glass window in a small room, wearing a formal jacket. He spoke to his mother and wife over a speaker phone with the handset tightly secured with tape.
The two women sat across, supervised by at least two Pakistani officials. On their table were a clock, tissue box, and a telephone handset on which they communicated with Jadhav as video cameras recorded the conversation and CCTV monitored the meeting.
Jadhav and his mother seemed composed but a photo taken from behind the ladies had a reflection of a distraught Chetankul trying to contain her emotions upon seeing her husband. The meeting time was extended to 40 minutes at the request of Jadhav, said a Foreign Office spokesperson.
The women to whom Pakistan granted a three-day visit visa arrived in the morning on a Middle Eastern airline since there are no direct flights between New Delhi and Islamabad. Both groups had to meet the time frame in order to accommodate the arrangements. According to reports, Avanti and Chetankul walked out of the ministry building at 3:20 p.m. with Singh and were taken to the Indian High Commission before flying out of the country in the evening.
Faisal, in briefing the media, said that the deputy high commissioner was not allowed to meet and interact with the imprisoned Indian. He said the diplomat was allowed only to be present, adding that Pakistan had fulfilled its commitment.
The spokesperson declined to disclose the subjects discussed at the meeting but said it was positive and the women did not appeal for mercy. However, this is not the last meeting Pakistan will facilitate for the spy, Faisal emphasized in response to a question.
At the briefing, ministry officials played a video of Jadhav’s taped confession. They claimed he created an undercover identity as Hussain Mubarak Patel to move the agenda of the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and fuel unrest in Baluchistan and Karachi.
Jadhav’s arrest has further escalated tensions between both nuclear-armed neighbors. Bilateral dialogue remains suspended though Pakistan has signaled its desire to hold talks with India on a number of issues, especially Kashmir.
Pakistan has rejected using the Indian spy as leverage to force India to the negotiating table and meet its demands. Former Pakistani diplomat, Aziz Ahmed Khan, told Arab News: “In the absence of a dialogue process, Pakistan can only wait and see when the Indian side will realize the futility of not talking.”
When asked if either country has adopted a back-track diplomacy strategy to salvage the soured relations, he answered: “I don’t think there is any back channel between the countries.”
On the other hand, Javed Hafiz, a former Pakistani ambassador, said Pakistan had often resorted to back channel diplomacy which at times have been facilitated by a third party (country).
Speaking to Arab News, he is of the view that both countries need to work on opening channels of communication in order to avoid risking a damaging confrontation.
“Indo-Pak relations have seen several tense periods. In such situations, some communication is better than no communication at all.”