Kulbhushan Jadhav, Family Separated By Glass Screen in 35-Min Meet
Pakistan on 20 December had issued visa to Jadhav’s wife and mother to visit Islamabad to meet him.
Kulbhushan Jadhav met his wife and mother, for 30-35 minutes, from behind a glass screen at the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, on Monday, 25 December.
Jadhav’s family members were accompanied by the Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh and a Pakistani woman official. The family had arrived in Islamabad on Monday to meet the Indian prisoner on death row.
Note: Audio level is low in the above video.
Jadhav’s New ‘Confession’
Briefing the press after the meeting, Pakistan Foreign Ministry showed a video ‘confession’ by Jadhav. The video was apparently recorded before Jadhav met his family, reported Firstpost.
In it, Jadhav can be heard thanking the Pakistani government for its ‘grand gesture’.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said the country had chosen Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s birth anniversary as the day for the “humanitarian meeting” between Jadhav and his kin.
When questioned about the reason for the glass barrier between Jadhav and his family, Faisal responded:
It was for security reasons, we had already told them that you will be able to meet him but a security barrier would be there. It was a humanitarian meeting, it was not consular access.
The Pakistan Foreign Ministry added that Indian diplomat JP Singh was present and could see the meeting but was not allowed to meet Jadhav. The spokesperson said that Pakistan extended the meeting by 10 minutes on Jadhav’s request.
A Step Forward, but Deeply Unsatisfactory: Shashi Tharoor
Commenting on the meeting, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said:
In one sense, it is a step forward because 22 months after they arrested this poor man, finally somebody is able to see him.
Tharoor added that the the way the events unfolded was “deeply unsatisfactory”.
Jadhav’s Kin at The Foreign Ministry
The Pakistan Foreign Office said Jadhav’s wife and mother travelled to Islamabad by a commercial flight, and would leave the same day after after spending barely seven hours in the country.
Sharpshooters Deployed at Meeting Venue
Earlier in the day, Pakistani authorities said they had deployed sharpshooters at the foreign ministry's office where Jadhav met his family.
Roads leading to the Constitution Avenue, on which Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is located, had been closed for traffic.
Jadhav Not Granted Consular Access
Jadhav was not granted consular access, Pakistan media clarified quoting the Foreign Office. Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had told Pakistan’s Geo News that he had been granted consular access.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the grounds that it was not applicable in cases related to spies.
However, India’s Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh accompanied Jadhav’s mother and wife to the meeting.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal tweeted:
Conflicting Claims
Pakistan on 20 December had issued visas to Jadhav's wife and mother to visit Islamabad to meet him. Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in May. The ICJ halted his execution on India's appeal pending the final verdict by it.
Pakistan alleges that Jadhav is “not an ordinary person” as he had entered the country with the intent of “spying and carrying out sabotage activities”.
Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on 3 March 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran.
India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
(With inputs from PTI)