Sartaj says Kulbhushan’s death sentence as per law

Defence minister says Pakistan gives warning to Indian agents, facilitators

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that Indian agent Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence is as per the law and it is premature to state when the decision will be implemented.

Speaking in the Senate, he said that it was too early to give a reaction on India’s objection over the death sentence. Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif categorically stated that the death sentence of the Indian agent should serve as a warning to those engaged in terrorism in Pakistan.

He said that those plotting against Pakistan would not be spared. He made it clear that Kulbhushan’s sentencing was according to the law. All constitutional force would be used against those acting against the sovereignty of Pakistan.

“Civilians and soldiers have given sacrifices for Pakistan and their sacrifices demand us to give a befitting reply to terrorists and those who aid and facilitate them,” he said, adding that his (Kulbhushan) confession was a public document and if India raises the issue of his death sentence, Pakistan would give them a reply.

“He (Kulbhushan) came from the approval of the Indian government… there is no doubt that India is fueling terrorism in Pakistan,” the minister said. According to Asif, the entire world had acknowledged Pakistan’s struggle against terrorism and the country was dealing with this menace from both the eastern and western front.

Under the constitution, the punishment for espionage was death, hence as a sovereign state, Pakistan should pursue its course of action under its laws without taking any pressure, said Rehman Malik, a former minister for interior affairs.

“Pakistan is a sovereign state and has a law which states that the punishment for those spying or those facilitating spies is the death sentence,” he said, and appreciated the decision to award the death sentence to the Indian agent. “If we do not punish spies then several such agents will surface who conduct activities and martyr thousands of Pakistanis.”

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said that his party stands with the decision which proved that India and RAW were involved in subversive activities in Pakistan. “Kulbhushan is not just a person, it is the name of an organisation. He has admitted to the crime and there are more facilitators here,” he said.

“If our institutions have taken this decision after completing investigation then I believe the entire nation is behind it,” he said. “We should have taken this case to every diplomatic avenue, had it been any Pakistani national, involved in espionage India would have taken that person to every diplomatic office,” he said.

TV anchor Hamid Mir said that the government should prepare a white paper for the international community to inform them of the Indian role in a number of terror cases in Pakistan from 1947. “Pakistan shouldn’t have to be defensive or apologetic on this case,” he said. Defence analyst Talat Masood said Pakistan should be ready for a ‘strong’ Indian reaction.

Speaking to media, Balochistan Minister for Home Affairs Sarfaraz Bugti welcomed the court verdict, saying it was a good decision. Since foreign elements have been found involved in terrorist activities in Balochistan, this decision would help scuttle such subversive activities, he said.