The Indian authorities, on Thursday, met the ex-naval officer and businessman, Kulbhushan Jadhav, who had been arrested on the grounds of espionage. Jadhav was arrested by Pakistan for spying on behalf of the Indian intelligence. After getting arrested, Jadhav was presented in front of a military court where he was sentenced to death.
India received consular access to meet Jadhav for the second time. This time Islamabad assured an “unimpeded and unconditional consular access” to India. However, the Indian authorities, on visiting Jadhav, realized that Pakistan had yet again violated its promise.
The Indian authorities reported that Jadhav seemed “under stress” when they visited him. It could be sensed that he was under some sort of duress. Apart from this, a camera was also present in the room which was certainly placed to record the whole conversation, violating the very notion of privacy.
“It was also evident from the camera, that was visible, that the conversation with Jadhav was being recorded”, quoted the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement. It also asserted that the arrangements made by Pakistan did not allow a free conversation with Jadhav.
In the statement, the External Affairs Ministry concluded that “the consular access being offered by Pakistan was neither meaningful nor credible”. They also accused Pakistan on being insincere towards this situation and violating the assurance to the International Court of Justice to fully implement the 2019 conviction. “Pakistan Has failed to act according to its own ordinance” added MEA.
The ministry reaffirmed on the importance of consular access and privacy during that meeting. It stated that such access is of utmost importance and is in fact a right that has been granted to Jadhav. Such access is also in line with the process of effective review and reconsideration as ordered by the International Court of Justice in its July 2019 judgment.
India has also been contesting Pakistan’s claim which stated that Kulbhushan Jadhav refused to file an appeal against the High Court. India claims that not only is this claim a “farce” but the conviction in the military court itself was not fair. India believes that the “obstructive” consular access meetings are just another step for Pakistan to protect its “false narrative” against Jadhav.
Jadhav’s family has been apprised of the situation and India has assured them of his return. Jadhav has been incarcerated in Pakistan since 2016 and the situation between both the countries has been heated on this case ever since. Hindustan Times reports that India applied for unhampered consular access for more than twelve times over the past one year.
