Islamabad: India on Wednesday demanded consular access to its citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav to further pursue his case, including launching an appeal against the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court on spying charges.
However, Pakistan refused to comply with the demand saying the 46-year-old Indian national was a spy and not covered under the bilateral agreement on consular access.
Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Gautam Bambawale today met with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and sought the consular access to Jadhav.
Bambawale asked Janjua to provide access to Jadhav to further pursue his case, including launching an appeal against his death sentence, local media reported.
However, Janjua turned down Bambawale’s demand saying “access under [bilateral] agreement is meant for prisoners and not for spies.”
Pakistan has denied India’s request for consular access to Jadhav over a dozen times in the last one year.
Pakistan Army has already rejected any chance of granting consular access to Jadhav who was sentenced to death for espionage and subversive activities by a military court.
Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor last week said consular access cannot be given to Jadhav because he is a spy.
It was second time that Bambawale has met Janjua to seek consular access to Jadhav.
On April 19, a meeting between Bambawale and Janjua was rescheduled.
On April 14, Bambawale had met with Janjua, showing increasing concern of India about the fate of Jadhav. He told media after his meeting that he had asked for list of charges and authentic copy of verdict of military tribunal against Jadhav to launch appeal against his conviction.
He also said that India was seeking consular access on the basis on international law humanitarian grounds.
Meanwhile, Jadhav’s mother has filed an appeal with Pakistan seeking Islamabad’s intervention for his release and expressed a desire to meet him.
Bambawale handed over a petition by Jadhav’s mother to the Pakistan government and also an appeal by her to the Court of Appeal, on behalf of Jadhav, “who continues to be in detention in Pakistan on concocted charges”, said an official statement.
“She requested the intervention of the Federal Government of Pakistan for his release and has expressed the desire to meet him,” the statement said.
Pakistan was also requested to facilitate the visas for the mother and father of Jadhav, who have expressed a wish to travel to Pakistan to meet him and to personally file the petition and the appeal. They have applied for visas with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
