ISLAMABAD: Months after a request was made by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Pakistan on Friday informed New Delhi that it would allow a meeting between self-confessed spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and his wife ‘on humanitarian grounds’, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Office.
“The Government of Pakistan has decided to arrange a meeting of Commander Kulbhushan Jhadav with his wife in Pakistan purely on humanitarian grounds,” Foreign office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said in the statement. “A Note Verbale to this effect has been sent to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, today (Friday),” he added.
Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, through a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan’s Mashkel area over his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan, the army had said at that time.
In a rare move, a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) had in April 2017 handed the Indian spy a death sentence after trial for involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi and Balochistan. “The spy was tried through Field General Court Martial under the Pakistan Army Act ) and awarded the death sentence. Today, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed his death sentence awarded by FGCM,” the military’s media wing had said in a statement on April 10, 2017.
The execution of Indian spy was, however, stayed by the International Court of Justice. The case is still sub judice.
Published in Daily Times, November 11th 2017.