ISLAMABAD, May 29: Indian saboteur, Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row following his sentencing by the military court, has been providing with further vital intelligence about Indian sponsored terrorist incidents in Balochistan and subversion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects or the Chinese nationals working on these projects.
A well-placed source has informed Pakistan Today that the law enforcing agencies had taken action on the new information provided by Jadhav which was proving ‘beneficial’. “Jadhav continues to provide actionable intelligence. Perhaps, Jadhav wants to soften Pakistan. He is not only cooperating but he is also proving new leads to us. The new information provided by Jadhav is proving to be beneficial. Agencies are working on the information provided by the RAW officer,” the official confided.
Asked whether there was any lead also provided to trace the two abducted Chinese nationals from Quetta, the official said that any revelation in this regard would be “inappropriate”. When asked for official comments, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakria said that Jadhav was providing intelligence. Spokesman wouldn’t elaborate keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter. “Commander Kulbhushan Jhadav continues to provide vital intelligence with regard to recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan,” the spokesman said in response to a volley of questions sent to him.
However, when asked to explain whether Jadhav had also provided any lead to probe the recent abduction of the two Chinese nationals from Quetta, the spokesperson refused to be specific on leads provided by Jadhav. Commander Kulshushan Jadhav was arrested inside Balochistan in Mashkel near the border region of Chaman on March 3, 2016, having made illegal entry into Pakistan through Iran. He was arrested during a counterintelligence raid conducted by security forces.
According to the security forces, Jadhav was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and was commissioned to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency. Jadhav confessed for his involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi by aiding, financing and provoking Baloch rebels to mount terrorist attacks to target CPEC and other sensitive installations. Jadhav’s interrogation further revealed that naval combat training was being conferred to Baloch separatists, in an attempt to target the ports of Gwadar and Karachi.
The investigators claimed that Jadhav, during his interrogation, gave details about his funding and plans to destabilise Pakistan. They added that Jadhav also disclosed the presence of other Indian intelligence operatives in the southern metropolis. During interrogation Jadhav revealed that at Wadh, Jadhav remained in contact with Haji Baloch, who provided financial and logistic support to Baloch separatists and the Islamic State network in Karachi. He also admitted that the masterminds of the Safoora bus attack, where gunmen shot dead 45 Ismaili passengers, were also in contact with Haji Baloch.
Jadhav added that he had met Baloch several times, sometimes for planning sectarian violence in Karachi and the rest of Sindh. Based on Jadhav’s information, Pakistan said it arrested around four hundred undercover operatives. In April 2016, Islamabad briefed diplomats of various countries regarding Jadhav’s arrest and his claimed involvement in terrorist activities. The evidence was also shared with the United States and United Kingdom. Separately, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan held a meeting with the Iranian ambassador.
In September, Pakistan prepared a dossier outlining evidence of Indian-sponsored terrorism and provided it to the United Nations Secretary General. It included Jadhav’s details. The probe revealed Jadhav’s goal was to sabotage the CPEC — with Gwadar port as a special target — and also to create disharmony among the Baloch nationalist political parties. Jadhav had also purchased boats at the Iranian port in Chabahar to target Karachi and Gwadar ports in an alleged terrorist plot.
On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM), following a confession before the magistrate and court. Jadhav’s trial lasted three and a half months and the charges he was convicted for included spying for India, waging war against Pakistan, sponsoring terrorism, and destabilising the state. He was tried in a military court due to his naval background and the sensitive nature of his case, involving espionage and sabotage. The sentence was confirmed by army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, and released via the ISPR.
Defence Minister Khwaja Asif stated that under the provisions of the Pakistan Army Act of 1952, Jadhav had the right to appeal against his conviction on three appellate forums within 40 days. Asif stated that Jadhav’s prosecution followed ‘due legal process’ based on the country’s laws, rules and regulations and ‘there was nothing in the legal proceedings that was against the law’.
In May 2017, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to contest the death penalty. The ICJ on 18 May 2017 stayed the hanging of Jadhav and admitted the case for hearing.
