Islamabad Pakistan allowed the wife and mother of alleged Indian spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, to visit him Monday, reiterating the step was taken purely on humanitarian grounds.
The meeting lasted about 40 minutes and took place at the Foreign Ministry shortly after Jadhavs family members landed in Islamabad, officials said.
Jadhav spoke to his wife and mother through a microphone from behind a specially arranged glass partition.
The Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad was also allowed to accompany the visitors. The diplomat could see Jadhav but was not allowed to speak or listen to the conversation among the family members, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal later told reporters.
He said that New Delhi and the visitors knew in advance of all the arrangements. Faisal added Jadhavs relatives were scheduled to fly back to India late Monday.
Extremely tight security arrangements were established in and around the complex housing the Foreign Ministry, with mobile phone signal jammers also activated to deter subversive acts.
To reiterate, let me be very clear that Pakistan permitted the request by India purely on humanitarian grounds. The visit was allowed in line with Islamic practices and teachings. It is a gesture of good faith and compassion, the spokesman maintained.
Commander Jadhavs actions at Indian behest have deprived many mothers of their sons and daughters, Faisal said.
Faisal also said Pakistan had agreed to honour Indias request not to allow any media interaction with the visitors.
This was Jadhavs first meeting with his family since he was arrested in March 2016 for entering Pakistan from neighbouring Iran with fake travel documents.
A military court later tried and sentenced him to death in April of this year, ruling the serving Indian navy officer was found guilty of espionage and running a deadly terrorist network in Pakistan.
Officials also released a pre-recorded video message of Jadhav in which he thanked Pakistani authorities for treating him well and for arranging the meeting.
I had requested a meeting with my wife on humanitarian grounds and I have been informed that my mother and my wife are coming over to meet me. I am rally thankful to the government of Pakistan for showing this grand gesture, said Jadhav, who appeared relaxed and comfortable while making the statement.
India says Jadhav is a former naval officer but rejects the charges against him as baseless, saying he has no connection with the government.
Pakistani officials insist Jadhav has confessed before the countrys military court that he was tasked by the Indian intelligence agency to plan, coordinate and organize espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities against Pakistan.
New Delhi asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in May to stop Islamabad from executing Jadhav, arguing he was denied diplomatic assistance during what India called an unfair trial.
The ICJ suspended the execution, pending a final decision. Pakistan rejected Indias assertions while submitting its reply to ICJ earlier this month.
Islamabad defended its stance of not granting diplomatic access to Jadhav, insisting he is a serving officer of the Indian navy and has confessed to his crimes before a competent authority.
Jadhav has filed an appeal with Pakistans army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, to seek clemency, which is still pending. He can still ask for a presidential pardon within 90 days in case Bajwa turned down his mercy petition.
Islamabad says New Delhi is sponsoring militant activities on Pakistani soil. New Delhi blames Islamabad for fuelling a Muslim separatist insurgency in the divided Kashmir region, which remains the primary source of tensions between the nuclear-armed nations. Both nations claim Kashmir in full. The issue has sparked two of three wars between them.
A Kashmiri Has No Right To Meet His Child, Wife
Mushaal Mullick, wife of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, on Monday said that while Pakistan was allowing alleged Indian spy Kalbushan Jadhav to meet his wife and mother on humanitarian grounds, India has kept her and their daughter from meeting Malik for the past three years.
Shortly after the family of Yadav landed in Pakistan capital Islamabad, Mullick said in a video message: A Kashmiri has no right to meet his wife and child; he is being treated worse than a proclaimed terrorist.”
“Is this what India is, [on] one hand it approached the International Court of Justice to save Jadhav, who is a proclaimed terrorist, while on the other this champion of human rights treats Kashmiris worse than terrorists.”
“The lives of Kashmiris have no value and we have no rights just because [we] are struggling against India in a fight for freedom.”
“This leaves a question for the world as well as India,” she said, as she concluded the video.
Mullick had last year urged the United Nations to take notice of human rights violations taking place in Kashmir.
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