No consular access to Jadhav: Pak army

Pakistan’s army on Monday ruled out consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, days after India had made a strong case for the access to the Indian prisoner on death row.

Jadhav, 46, was awarded death sentence by the Field General Court Martial last week, evoking a sharp reaction in India, which warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the “pre-meditated murder” was carried out.

“Under the law we cannot give consular access to Khubhushan who was involved in spying,” Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said. But Indian officials in New Delhi maintained there was no communication from Pakistan on the denial of consular access.

Pakistan has denied India’s request for consular access to Jadhav over a dozen times in the last one year.

On Friday, Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, Gautam Bambawale, had met Pakistan foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua and demanded a certified copy of the charge-sheet as well as the army court order in the Jadhav case besides seeking consular access to the retired Indian navy officer.

Maj Gen Ghafoor said that Jadhav was involved in antistate activities so he had to face court martial.

The rules permitting pre-censorship of movies have come under the judicial scanner for the first time, with veteran actor Amol Palekar challenging them. Acting on his petition, a Supreme Court bench headed by justice AK Sikri issued notices to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Centre.

Palekar has argued that the decisions on making cuts and denying certification are largely arbitrary in nature. The provisions, which are 47 years old, have failed to keep up with the times, he said in his petition.

The actor wants relaxation in the censorship of films and said that the absence of a member with a legal background in the CBFC often leads the board to “repeatedly violate filmmakers’ fundamental right to speech and expression”. He also cited instances to highlight the arbitrary nature of censorship.

In the internet era, Palekar argued, several provisions of the law were redundant. He has also demanded that recommendations of the Shyam Benegal Committee, which was set up to look into the norms and best practices on film certification, be put into action. “The rules have to change in the present days... internet and social media dominate,” read his petition.

“When content on television and internet is free of censorship, the same content being altered, cut or deleted before being shown in a cinema hall is an attack on our right to equality,” the petition said.

However, Palekar clarified he was not asserting his right to absolute freedom of speech.