India has requested Pakistan to allow Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav, held by Pakistan’s security agencies, to meet his mother along with his wife. India’s request has come in response to an earlier offer made by Pakistan to allow the spy to only meet his wife.
Pakistan on Saturday confirmed having received India’s request and would take a decision regarding the matter soon.
Foreign Office South Asia Affairs and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Director Dr Mohammad Faisal shared a tweet saying, “Indian Reply to Pakistan’s Humanitarian offer for Commander Jadhav received & is being considered.”
It is important to mention here that Jadhav’s mother had already applied for a Pakistani visa with the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi, in anticipation of meeting her convicted son.
Earlier this month (November 10), Pakistani authorities had permitted the Indian spy to meet his wife.
On November 10, Pakistan had granted permission to the convicted Indian spy to meet his wife. The move was made as a gesture of goodwill in connection with a request made by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
“The government has taken a decision on humanitarian grounds to allow Commander Kulbushan Jadhav to meet his wife in Pakistan,” Faisal had earlier said, while adding, “A note verbale to this effect has been dispatched to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on Friday (yesterday).”
The decision taken by Pakistan had given rise to rumours, saying that the two neighbouring countries might have discussed the issue in a recent meeting held between Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the newly appointed Pakistani High Commissioner to New Delhi Sohail Mahmood.
The rumours were denied by Islamabad which said that no discussion was held regarding the Indian spy.
Nonetheless, Pakistan’s decision to allow the Indian spy to meet his wife might have been a result of a hushed meeting between the two countries in connection with the issue. This decision is also believed to be taken by Pakistan to counter and dispel India’s propaganda against the country on international forums and at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
It merits mention here that the hearing of Jadhav’s case at the ICJ would be held soon.
Kulbushan Jadhav alias, Hussain Mubarak Patel, was a serving commander of the Indian navy and involved with India’s premier intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), when he was arrested by law-enforcement agencies on March 3, 2016. The Indian spy had crossed over into Pakistan illegally.
Later, he confessed before a magistrate and the court to have been tasked by RAW to plan, coordinate and organise espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities to destabilise Pakistan.
The spy was given a death sentence earlier this year but the ICJ had issued a stay order over the decision. Later Pakistan had refused to give India the permission to gain consular access to the Indian spy.
