Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother's visa applications being 'processed', claims Pakistan

On Wednesday, Pakistan rejected India's plea for consular access to Jadhav at the ICJ, claiming that New Delhi wants the access to get the information by its "spy"

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The former Navy officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav is serving death sentence in Pakistan over allegations of spying.
The former Navy officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav is serving death sentence in Pakistan over allegations of spying.

In Short

  • On Wednesday, Pakistan rejected India's plea for consular access to Jadhav at the ICJ.
  • Pakistan said the provision of such an access under the Vienna Convention is only for legitimate visitors and not for spies.
  • Pakistan said that Jadhav is not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying.

On Sunday, Pakistan said the visa applications of Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother had been received and were being "processed".

This came days after Pakistan again rejected India's plea for consular access to the death row prisoner Jadhav.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal confirmed in a tweet that Jadhav's family had applied for visas.

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"Visa applications of mother and wife of Commander Jadhav received for their visit on humanitarian grounds," Faisal tweeted.

He further added that the applications were "being processed". However, he did not give any timeline for approval of visas.

On Wednesday, Pakistan rejected India's plea for consular access to Jadhav at the ICJ, claiming that New Delhi wants the access to get the information gathered by its "spy".

In its counter-memorial submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan said the provision of such an access under the Vienna Convention is only for legitimate visitors and not for spies, a media report said.

Pakistan said that Jadhav is not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities.

Pakistan's attempt to honeytrap Indian officials foiled

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017 on charges of espionage and terrorism evoking a sharp reaction in India. It was only after India approached the ICJ that a 10-member bench on May 18 2017 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.

India, however, continues to maintain that Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Naval officer, was abducted from Iran in March, 2016 by Pak forces who have made it look like he was arrested from Balochistan's Mashkel area near the border region of Chaman.

Earlier, Pakistan had agreed to facilitate a meeting of Jadhav with his mother and wife in Islamabad on December 25. It also agreed to India's demand that they be accompanied by an official of the Indian High Commission here.

On Thursday, Pakistan directed its High Commission in New Delhi to issue visas to Jadhav's wife and mother.

(With agency inputs)

Watch the video | India's full argument of Kulbhushan Jadhav's case in ICJ